Most people will urinate between 6 and 7 times per day. It’s something that you likely don’t think about–it’s just a normal and ignorable part of your day. Until something goes wrong. Pain, discomfort, and other issues can make urination an all too present part of your daily life.

Urology is the medical speciality that treats urinary tract issues in patients of all genders. After all, a healthy and functioning urinary tract is critical to your overall wellness and your quality of life. An unhealthy urinary tract can have significant and lasting consequences, so prompt, specialized treatment is often required.

While some urinary tract issues may resolve on their own, the vast majority require a specialist to successfully treat. Knowing some of the most common urology problems can help you now when it might be time to call a specialist and make an appointment. The sooner you get your urinary tract problems treated, the sooner you can return to not thinking about how and when you urinate.

Common Urology Problems

From urinary incontinence and enlarged prostates to urinary tract infections and kidney stones, millions of Americans every year suffer from urologic conditions that require treatment by a urologist. Some of the most common urologic conditions include the following.

Urinary Tract Infection

Over fifteen million women a year experience UTI symptoms in the United States alone. And while urinary tract infections are much more common in women, 3 in 25 men will also experience a UTI in their lifetime.

That makes urinary tract infections an incredibly common urologic condition. Symptoms may include:

• A burning sensation when urinating
• Fever
• A feeling that urinating has not emptied the bladder
• And more. 

Urinary tract infections may sometimes resolve themselves on their own, but usually require treatment to fully address symptoms. 

UTIs must typically be diagnosed by a physician via a urine sample analysis. Treatment includes the use of antibiotics to treat the underlying infection. Once you start taking antibiotics, you should experience symptom relief within a few days.

Kidney Stones

Kidney stones have a well earned reputation for being quite painful when passed. These small, hard deposits of minerals and acid salts tend to form in concentrated urine. They often begin in the kidneys before traveling through the bladder and, finally, passing through the urinary tract. Kidney stones are generally diagnosed by a physician, and they can be treated in several ways. In some cases, patients are able to treat kidney stones by letting them pass and taking over-the-counter or prescription pain medication.

While kidney stones typically do not cause permanent damage, there are some cases in which larger or especially painful stones are best treated by surgical intervention. Usually these procedures are minimally invasive and performed on an outpatient basis. Recovery times are typically quick and can avoid the pain and discomfort associated with passing the stone naturally.

Enlarged Prostate

In patients who are assigned male at birth and who have a prostate, benign growths can begin to cause adverse symptoms. This condition is medically known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)–but most people commonly call it an enlarged prostate. This growth usually occurs slowly and over time, so symptoms tend to develop gradually.

BPH is usually treated in several ways. Traditionally, part of the enlarged prostate would be partially removed. This provides symptom relief, but there are some risks of unwanted complications. A new procedure called Urolift offers a non destructive and minimally invasive alternative. Urolift uses tiny tools inserted by a cannula through the urethra to essentially lift the prostate out of the way. 

In this way, Urolift can help address BPH symptoms for years or longer without any of the possible negative complications that may come with removing a portion of the prostate. For these reasons, Urolift has become an exceptionally popular option since its introduction.

Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is a very treatable type of cancer, especially when detected early. Symptoms of prostate cancer often include difficulty urinating. Prostate cancer is treated depending on the severity of the disease. In some cases, monitoring may be sufficient. In other cases, prostate cancer will be treated with surgery followed by radiation or chemotherapy treatments.

Prostate cancer screenings are also a critical way to catch prostate cancer as early as possible. 

Get Your Urology Care from a Trusted Urologist

These common conditions–and more–will typically require treatment by a physician. Very often, visiting a urologist can help you address symptoms and get back on the road to good health and wellness.

At Iowa City Ambulatory Surgery Center, we help patients address urologic disease in a variety of ways. Surgical procedures are performed on an outpatient basis at our onsite surgery center. This means that patients can undergo treatment in a convenient, compassionate, and clinical setting–rather than having to deal with the stress of a hospital setting.

Treating your urology issues can help you get back to feeling like your normal self–making the act of using a restroom routine and comfortable once again. Talk to your doctor about finding the right urology care for your symptoms today!