Urethritis
Overview
Urethritis is when the tube that carries pee from the bladder out of the body (urethra) becomes swollen and sore. It'soften caused by asexuallytransmittedinfection (STI). It's important to get it treated to avoid it spreading to other people.
Symptoms
Symptoms of urethritis include: pain or a burning feeling when you peewhite or cloudy discharge from the vagina or penisan irritated or sore tip of the penis If urethritis is caused by a sexually transmitted infection (STI), it can take a few days or weeks for symptoms to appear after having sex. Urethritis does not always have symptoms. If you have sex without a condom, a person with urethritis and no symptoms can pass on the infection without realising it.
Causes
Urethritis is usually caused by a sexually transmitted infection (STI) such as chlamydia. You can get it if you have unprotected sex (without a condom) with someone who has the infection. Rarely, it can be caused by damaging the urethra (for example, from a urinary catheter). Sometimes no cause for the urethritis can be found.
Treatment
Urethritis is usually treated with antibiotics. It may take a week or two for your symptoms to disappear completely. Any current sexual partners may also need treatment. Avoid having sex (including oral sex) until you and any sexual partners have finished treatment and the symptoms have gone. You may be asked to come back for another appointment in 1 to 2 weeks to check the treatment has worked.
Prevention
You can reduce your chances of getting urethritis by: using a condom every time you have vaginal sex or anal sexusing a condom to cover the penis or a latex or plastic square (dam) to cover the vagina if you have oral sexnot sharing sex toys, or washing them and covering them with a new condom before anyone else uses them You can get tested for urethritis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) even if you do not have symptoms. This can help you avoid passing on infections without realising it.