Symptoms that may need assessment
- Red, pink, brown or smoky-coloured urine
- Blood clots in the urine
- Blood found on a routine urine test without any symptoms
- Bleeding with or without pain — both matter
- Bleeding that comes and goes and then stops on its own
How it is assessed
Assessment begins with your history, examination and urine tests. Depending on the findings and your risk, further tests may include kidney-function blood tests, ultrasound, CT or other imaging, and cystoscopy. Cystoscopy allows the urologist to inspect the bladder and urethra directly and take a tissue sample if needed. The combination of tests is chosen for your situation; no single test answers every possible cause of bleeding.
How it is treated
Treatment depends entirely on the cause: antibiotics for infection, stone treatment where a stone is responsible, prostate treatment where the prostate is the source, and prompt onward management if a tumour is found. Bleeding that stops on its own has not been explained by stopping — it still needs the cause established.
