Blood in your urine. It sounds so ominous. Let’s be honest: It conjures up unpleasant images of staring into a pool of red in the toilet bowl. Makes you cringe just thinking about it.
But that’s not how it really works ““ at least most of the time.
It’s unlikely you would even see blood in your urine. It’s often so microscopic it would only be visible by a laboratory. There are, however, different levels of severity, including amber-colored urine and red (severe).
There also can be small clots, “when pieces of actual red tissues come out of your urine,” said Dr. Noah Allen, urologist at St. Elizabeth Physicians. “That’s concerning.”
The truth is, most guys don’t pay attention enough to know when there is blood in their urine, Allen said. And because there is often no pain associated with it, it does not get any attention.
A urinary tract infection (UTI) and kidney stones can cause pain. Oftentimes cancer does not.
“With a pain source, problems can be identified and treated,” Allen said. “For guys, it’s out of sight, out of mind until there is actually a problem.”
If you suspect there might be an issue, you should contact your primary care physician right away.
