In this article, learn about nine possible causes of hematuria in males, along with their additional symptoms and information on when to see a doctor. Urinary tract infections UTIs are a common cause of blood in the urine. Although they occur more frequently in women, men can also develop them. UTIs can occur when bacteria enter the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body. Rarely, a UTI can affect the kidneys.
Sexually transmitted diseases STDs are common. According to the Centers for Disease Control , more than 20 million new infections occur in the United States every year. Even more people remain undiagnosed. You can be infected with an STD for years without knowing it. Untreated, asymptomatic STDs can:. STDs catch many people off guard.
The medical term for blood in urine is hematuria. There are two forms of hematuria that doctors recognize, gross hematuria blood in urine that is visible with the naked eye and microscopic hematuria blood in urine that is only visible under a microscope. There are many reasons why blood can occur in urine but for the purposes of this article we will focus on STDs and STIs.
Blood in the urine hematuria can make urine appear pink, red, or brown, depending on the amount of blood, how long it has been in the urine, and how acidic the urine is. An amount of blood too small to change color of the urine microscopic hematuria may be found by chemical tests or microscopic examination. Microscopic hematuria may be found when a urine test is done for another reason. People with hematuria may have other symptoms of urinary tract disorders , such as pain in the side or back flank , lower abdominal pain, an urgent need to urinate, or difficulty urinating, depending on the cause of blood in the urine. If sufficient blood is present in the urine, the blood may form a clot.