Describing your urinary symptoms to your doctor

The urologic system can be quite a mystery to many people.  When you see your doctor for urinary issues, it can be difficult to find the right words to describe your symptoms.

In this post, I'll review some symptom terminology so that you can communicate more effectively with your healthcare provider.

"Urias":

• dysuria - pain with urination
• hematuria - blood in the urine
• nocturia - night time urination
• pneumaturia - passage of air with urination

Leakage:

• urge incontinence - urinary leakage due to feeling like you need to urinate and not making it to the bathroom in time
• stress incontinence - urinary leakage due to coughing, straining, laughing, or other strenuous activities

Symptoms:

• frequency - how often you urinate
• urgency - how rushed you feel when you feel the need to urinate
• hesitancy - a difficult to start urinary stream
• intermittency - starting and stopping stream
• retention - sense of incomplete emptying after urination

Knowing a few buzz words can really expedite your visit and let your doctor know how empowered you are about your urologic health!