Having Pain On Peeing May Or May Not Be A Sign Of Urinary Tract Infection
Question: Our daughter is almost three, and she is toilet-trained already. In the last few weeks, from time to time, she would complain that it hurts when she pees, but not every time. Otherwise, she is still healthy and active, eating well and growing, and she has no fever. Should I be worried that she may have an infection? Does she need to see her doctor and get tested?
Answer:
Having pain when urinating can be a sign of urinary tract infection (UTI). However, the pain can be caused by something else.
Each of us have two kidneys, one on each side, on the back wall of the abdomen. The kidneys’ function is to filter out wastes produced by our body. None of us can function properly if these waste products are not removed continuously, around the clock.
At the same time, our body’s water also passes through the filtration system of the kidneys, but most of the water is reabsorbed. The remaining water is mixed with the waste and become urine, passed from the kidneys to the bladder through two small tubes called ureters. The urine stays in the bladder until it is full, and we feel the urge to pee. The urine then goes through a small tube called the urethra. In females, the urethra is quite short, and it is longer in males.
On a normal day, if we drink good amounts of water, we will have to pee quite frequently, and the urine will be light in colour because it is diluted by the water that we drink. However, in early morning, because we didn’t drink through the night, our pee is often more concentrated and darker yellow in colour.
On a hot summer day, if we don’t drink enough water, our body will reabsorb more water through the kidneys, and the pee becomes darker and more concentrated. As a result, some of the wastes in the urine can form tiny crystals, which can irritate the urethra and cause pain on peeing. This can be the reason why your daughter has pain from time to time, if she didn’t drink enough water for her body’s need on a hot summer day.
Not drinking enough water can have other consequences. Our body loses water through sweating and breathing. As a result, the body tries to conserve water by absorbing it from the large intestines, making the stool more firm, and harder to pass. This can lead to constipation.
Because of the proximity between the rectum and the urethra in females, they are more prone to develop UTI if they have constipation. Drinking more water can prevent UTI by reducing constipation and more frequent voiding, flushing out bacteria from the bladder and urethra.
There is another reason why some young girls have irritation in their vulva, which can lead to pain when they pee. If they don’t wipe themselves properly after they pee, some urine will remain in the vulva, and normal germs there can break down the urine into chemicals that can irritate the vulva. A simple solution is to have her sit in a small tub of warm water for few minutes once or twice a day, and help her to clean that area properly.
If there is actual urinary tract infection, the pain on urination (this is called dysuria) should be more persistent, not just from time to time. There can be other symptoms of infection: more frequent urination, urgency (can’t wait to get to the toilet), leaking of urine, fever, poor appetite, and feeling sick.
Before going any further, the first thing to do is to give her more water to drink regularly, especially on hot summer days, and make sure that she pees frequently. You can also soak her bum, and show her how to wipe herself properly after she pees. If she continues to have symptoms of infection, then she should be checked for urinary tract infection.