In a healthy person, the surface of the urethra (urethra) is sterile, as it is constantly washed with urine, and it is a strong antiseptic. But for various reasons, both men and women can complain of itching in the urethra. This condition is more characteristic for women due to the anatomical structure of the urinary tract. In the fair sex, it has the appearance of a short (3-5 cm) and wide tube. There are no complex bends, as in the male organs, and infections can easily penetrate here, moving down into the bladder or up to the kidneys. According to statistics, in women, itching in the urethra occurs much more often. He talks about the localization of inflammation or infection in this place and means the transition of the degeneration process into the acute phase.
Common reasons
Itching is not a diagnosis, the nature of its origin can be very different. He is just an indicator of the pathological process. The causes of itching in the urethra in women can be divided into 3 large groups: infections, inflammations and injuries of mechanical origin. Also, hormonal imbalances, nutritional errors, and allergies belong to a separate type.
Non-pathological itching
This group includes unpleasant sensations due to external causes that have no relation to pathologies. Itching of the urethra in women without discharge is just typical for this group of causes.
What can be attributed to them:
- Hypothermia or overheating - is accompanied by stagnation of lymph and blood, their outflow slows down. The vessels are spasmodic due to the cold, and local immunity drops markedly. There is swelling, which narrows the walls of the urethra, urine also passes slowly and begins to irritate the mucous membrane. With hypothermia, pain occurs in the lower abdomen with a return to the lower back and sacrum, pain and burning sensation during urination. With timely measures, itching is easily removed without an inflammatory reaction.
- Inadequate drinking regimen - urine becomes more concentrated in relation to salts. It does not pass without a trace on the urethra, irritation and burning with salt crystals will certainly take place. The temperature may rise and the woman will feel sick.
- Wearing tight underwear and clothing - this provokes the above stagnation of blood and mechanical damage.
- Mechanical friction in the groin - occurs after riding a bicycle. This is always fraught with swelling of the tissues. The answer is itching in the urethra.
- Excessive consumption of salt, fatty, smoked, spicy food increases the concentration of salts in urine.
- Genital piercing causes seemingly minor mechanical injuries, but they can cause itching. This also includes microtrauma after intimacy, mucosal injury with nails when washing, stiffness of toilet paper, synthetics and an uncomfortable style of underwear, uterine injuries. If you ignore this fact, infection of the urethra and itching may occur.
- Taking antibiotics disrupts the number of beneficial microflora and the composition of urine changes. Irritation of the walls of the urethra is its consequence.
- Inadequate hygiene can also cause problems, especially on critical days. Frequent douching is negative. Even adequate hygiene when using aggressive care products can cause severe irritation to the skin and mucous membranes. Such funds can be suspected by the pungent smell of soap, bright color, cheap price, etc.
- Contact with allergens can also occur when using laundry that is washed in cheap washing powders, with improper lubrication on a condom, aromatic additives in the pad, tampons, etc.
- Surgery on the urinary tract can cause itching in the urethra, but in this case it will talk about the healing process. Such itching does not require treatment and passes on its own. At this time, the doctor may prescribe antibacterial suppositories.
Conclusions: the hallmark of itching and burning due to the action of natural factors is the absence of secretions, when the irritant is eliminated, the symptom immediately disappears.
Hormonal changes
The causes of itching in the urethra in women can be hormonal imbalances. This manifests itself in painful and frequent urination, burning and itching of the genitals, secretions in the form of whites and mucous lumps, discomfort during washing.
Such changes may be associated with thyroid dysfunction, in physiology - with pregnancy. In its first trimester, a hormonal surge occurs, the mucous membranes swell due to an increased level of prolactin (the hormone of pregnancy necessary for its successful course). After 14 weeks, such symptoms disappear themselves, the hormonal background by this time is normal. It is impossible to engage in self-medication in such cases, so as not to provoke a miscarriage.
Genital infections
The sticks of gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis cause itching and severe inflammation of the mucosa not only in the urethra, but throughout the urogenital system. The temperature is not high (37.5 ° C), the genitals are reddened, swollen, there may be various types of rash, spots, mucous or purulent discharge. Especially that during the first days the itching is very strong, and when the inflammation starts, it goes away. But this does not mean recovery.
Gonorrhea and other pathologies
Neisseria gonorrhoeae - these gonorrhea pathogens can spread up the urethra even during unprotected sex. Infection is contagious with any kind of sex.
Itching in the urethra is the first sign. It intensifies with urination, then the genitals become inflamed and purulent discharge of green-white color appears.
Chlamydia and herpes simplex are also sexually transmitted and are accompanied by itching in the urethra during urination. The discharge is small in volume, transparent; there are aching pains in the lower abdomen and in the groin, a strong general weakness appears.
Bacterial vaginosis is an imbalance of lactobacilli and an increase in opportunistic microflora, especially gardnerella. Therefore, the second name of the pathology is gardnerellosis. There is dryness in the perineum, constant itching in the urethra in women, frequent urges. Allocations are characterized by the smell of rotten fish. They have a greenish color. More often than not, trichomoniasis becomes the cause of burning and itching in the urethra. It is most common. In addition to itching, it is accompanied by discharge from the urethra, hematuria, pain during urination.
Signs of the disease appear quickly - 3-5 days after infection. In men, pathology is often asymptomatic. Self-medication is excluded because with the similarity of signs of cause and treatment is different.
Fungal infections
Another common cause of itching and burning in the urethra in women is fungal infections or candidiasis, thrush.
Can provoke pathology:
- sweet and flour;
- stress
- dysbiosis;
- decreased immunity, for example, during pregnancy.
Discharge and itching from the urethra in women in this case will accompany you until the fungus is uprooted. Urination becomes more frequent, which becomes painful, cheesy discharge with a characteristic sour-milk smell appears.
Inflammation
This category includes all inflammation of the urogenital sphere, one of the symptoms of which is itching in the urethra. Inflammation is quickly and often complicated by infection. Therefore, treatment should not be postponed.
Kidney disease
Among them, pyelonephritis, urolithiasis can be noted. Their common symptoms:
- frequent urination and scanty urine;
- itching and burning in the urethra;
- cramping in the lower abdomen;
- pain in the lower back and sacrum;
- increased pressure - all these symptoms appear gradually and not together.
So, first things first:
- Urolithiasis disease. It can be considered rather a mechanical factor. When stones and sand exit, damage to the walls of the bladder and urethra occurs. This is due to the appearance of pain and burning during urination, itching in the urethra, pain in the lower abdomen, blood impurities in the urine.
- Pyelonephritis is an inflammation of the renal pelvis. With such inflammation, the composition of urine changes (the appearance of sugar and protein in it), which cannot but reflect on the irritation of the walls of the urethra.
- Cystalgia. It is due to the high sensitivity of the bladder with normal urine composition, i.e. these disorders are functional. Itching in the urethra in women, burning and pain during urination, dryness in the perineum at the same time occur during menstruation and after intimacy. Inflammation and morphological changes in the tissues are absent here. Cystalgia is characteristic of young girls. It passes when menstruation ceases or enough time elapses from the moment the sexual contact is completed. If the itching does not stop, you need to look for other causes.
- Foreign bodies - they can get into the urethra with careless removal of the tampon, using different "toys" for sex and masturbation. Suspicion of the presence of a foreign particle occurs if, in addition to itching in the urethra, urine outflow is difficult. The jet becomes thin or does not appear at all. Removing foreign particles can only be done by a doctor.
- Cystitis is the most common cause of itching in the urethra in women with a painful burning sensation. Further, it is accompanied by frequent peremptory urges, scarcity of urine (false urges), severe pain in the lower abdomen. When the bladder is empty, the pain intensifies. It is almost constant, may decrease slightly, but does not completely disappear. Often, a woman's cystitis becomes a consequence of urethritis. This is the most common cause of itching in women in the urethra. Overcooling, prolonged urinary retention, and eating spicy or spicy foods can provoke pathologies. A change in the color of urine is also characteristic of cystitis - in it with the naked eye you can see white flakes and bloody threads.
Urethritis
Actually inflammation of the walls of the urethra of a bacterial nature. Inflammatory changes are characterized by the presence of itching in the area of the urethra in women, burning sensations, which intensify at the beginning of the urination act, after which they decrease, but do not pass at all. A feature of female urethritis is its ability to spread up and down the urethra.
Forms of the disease
Urethritis in women is divided into infectious and non-infectious; acute and chronic. Infectious urethritis, in turn, is divided into nonspecific - it is caused by opportunistic bacteria such as staphilo and streptococci, Escherichia coli and proceeds as a classic purulent inflammation; specific - occurs with sexually transmitted infections; viral - caused by herpes simplex virus or human papillomavirus (HPV).
Symptoms of urethritis in women
In acute urethritis, the characteristic symptoms are burning, pain, and itching in the urethra in women when urinating. In some cases, there may be purulent discharge from the urethral opening. In the future, pain and swelling decrease, the discharge stops. Urine is usually clear, sometimes with isolated purulent veins. In the acute form of urethritis, urge to urinate is imperative, pain more often at the end of urination.
The general condition of urethritis in women is usually not violated. Acute symptoms disappear within 2-2.5 weeks. But this does not mean the cessation of inflammation; an examination by a doctor is necessary. With insufficient treatment, acute urethritis becomes chronic. It will become aggravated and remind of itself during hypothermia, sexual arousal and frequent sexual intercourse, and drinking. Then its symptoms will resemble torpid urethritis.
Tumors
Often polyps form in the urethra as tumor precursors. Symptoms at this stage are scanty. Itching builds up and becomes burning. Then permanent pain, blood clots in the urine join. If untreated, the general condition worsens. Treatment is only surgical.
Malignant neoplasms are also scarce in manifestations. Over time, pain increases in the urethra, an admixture of blood appears in the urine. Under advanced conditions, anemia and general exhaustion develops.
Whatever the cause of burning and itching in the urethra in women, it is necessary to be examined and start treatment in order to avoid complications and the transition to a chronic process, which is much more difficult to treat.
Diagnosis of urethral pruritus
For a diagnosis, a smear from the urethral mucosa for genital sexually transmitted infections is examined. They also give urine tests. An examination in the gynecological chair and ultrasound of the pelvic organs is also carried out.
Treatment of urethral pruritus
During therapy, doctors focus on 3 things:
- normalization of the walls of the urethra;
- normalization of the microflora of the vagina and uterus, by getting rid of pathogens;
- restoration of immunity.
The following components should be included in the treatment of itching in women in the urethra:
- Broad-acting antibiotics - cephalosporins (Cefazolin, Cefotaxime, Ceftriaxone), macrolides (Azithromycin, Clarithromycin); fluoroquinolones (Clinafloxacin, Ciprofloxacin). It is important that for the success of their use it is necessary to determine the causative agent of the disease and its sensitivity to a certain type of antibiotic. Otherwise, the effect can not be seen. With gonorrhea, Erythromycin, Spectinomycin, Oletetrin, Ceftriaxone, Rifampicin, Cefacor are effective. Trichomonads do not like Metronidazole (Trichopolum), Imrazole, Ornidazole, Chlorhexidine, and Iodovidone suppositories. With candidiasis - "Levorin", "Nystatin", "Natamycin", "Amfoglukamin", "Clotrimazole". Chlamydial and mycoplasma urethritis will be well treated with tetracycline antibiotics.
- Local therapy - various sedentary baths (a weak mixture of potassium permanganate, furatsilin, herbal decoctions of chamomile and sage, etc.).
- Introduction to the vagina of special tampons with therapeutic ointments.
- The use of immunostimulating and immunomodulating drugs. In the treatment of urethritis, the water regimen must be strictly observed. It is also important to pay attention to your diet. Provocative foods are best eliminated. For viral urethritis, antiviral drugs are used: Ganciclovir, Acyclovir, Ribavirin, Famciclovir, Penciclovir, etc.
- Physiotherapy in the form of electrophoresis on the pubis and vaginally, diadynamic therapy of the lumbosacral zone, heating applications.
Prevention
Prevention in women:
- hormone replacement therapy for menopause;
- stress elimination;
- Gynecologist examinations every six months;
- observance and correctness of intimate hygiene;
- avoidance of hypothermia;
- exclusion of abortion;
Regular sex is also important, but with one partner, the culture of sexual relations. This is not the case when the number of partners goes into quality.