Expert: Mia - 1/21/2009

Question
Hello. I have had a bit of pain when peeing for almost 3 weeks now. I have had this once before but it went away after a couple of days. I feel like I need to pee straight after I've been and it hurts when the pee is ending. I get an irritating throbbing sensation within my vagina afterwards too. It hasn't been so bad for the past few days but I just wondered what it was and what may have caused this?

Answer
Hi Angela,

It sounds like it could be one of the following:

-urinary tract infection. This is common, especially among women. UTIs occur when bacteria enters the bladder, most commonly bacteria from your bowel, from sex, or from waiting too long to urinate. These be easily treated with antibiotics but you should not wait too long before going to the doctor as they can sometimes cause kidney infections if not treated.

-vaginal infection. This can also be treated with antibiotics from your doctor.

-chemicals from soaps, lotions, or lubricants can cause vaginal irritation. If you started using anything different about 3 weeks ago, this may be the cause of your pain.

I recommend you see your doctor or local clinic for testing. He/she will take samples to determine if it is a bacterial infection and which type so that you are prescribed the correct antibiotics.  In the meantime, I recommend drinking more fluids, especially water or cranberry juice, to see if it helps with the pain.

I hope this helps. If you have further questions let me know.

-Mia