Painful Burning Sensation In Urethra - No Uti Or Std - Female

Posted , 141 users are following.

I am a 21 year old female in the UK, and I have been suffering with a painful burning sensation which I believe to be coming from my urethra since September 2014. The pain comes and goes throughout the day, and it will be at its most intense after having urinated, and after sex. At its worst I struggle to walk. The need to urinate has increased but there is no difficulty in going, though I do now most often have two streams when urinating which sometimes will stop and start. On multiple occasions there has also been thick blood in my urine too. 

No UTIs have ever shown up on the paper dip test at my local GPs, though I have had UTIs in the past. I have tested negative to all STDs. I have had ultrasound scans which have shown nothing abnormal. I have had numerous internal examinations by doctors and one by a Gynaecologist, all have said everything looks normal and healthy.  

My GP has had me try at least 6 different types of antibiotics but none have had any effect on me, except for Cefalexin which I took once a day for 28 days, the pain felt lifted and sex was possible again, but 3-4 days after having finished my course I was back to how I was before them.   

I drink plenty of fluids (including cranberry juice) and eat healthy, I don't drink alcohol, smoke, or take drugs. All pain killers have very little effect on the pain, only a hot water bottle sat between my thighs brings any relief. Taking cranberry capsules, and/or cystitis relief sachets has had no effect. 

I am about ready to give up on my local GP, its doctors and the NHS, no matter how many appointments I make and attend no progress is ever made, no tests are ever taken and my request to be referred to a Urologist has been repeatedly turned down, I am only ever told to drink more water and to try a new antibiotic, which I pay for each time, no one seems willing to search and to find out what is causing the pain. Affording to go private is a problem for me though, and so I just hope there is someone out there who can relate to me and give me guidance/knowledge on what to do.  

This pain is now negatively affecting all aspects of my life. 

7 likes, 238 replies

238 Replies

Prev Next
  • Posted

    I am 63 I had was getting about 6 UTI's a year so they put me on Trimethoprim a low dose antibiotic changed my life, have had one UTI in  2 years but for the last two months I am getting this burning sensation down there.  I called my Urologist they said to see my OBGYN which I did she didn't find anything.  I swim 3/4 times @ week she said maybe they changed the chemicals in the pool.  It doesn't happen everyday just 3/4 times @ week but when it does I am so uncomfortable I just have a burning sensation.  I have read a lot of post in this discussion and everyone says avoid alcohol trust me that is the only thing that gets rid of the pain.  What I drink has a lot of sugar which I know is not good.  I am calling my Urologist on Monday to make an appointment but I am discouraged by what I have been reading it seems like no one is having success resolving this pain.  I do not have sex, my husband had a heart attack 5 years ago so it has nothing to do with that.  I had a hysterectomy when I was 27 so I don't have discharge and according to the OBGYN I can't get yeast infections I just want this pain and discomfort to go away. I also drink around 3/4 12 ounces of water a day.  My Urologist told me to avoid taking a bath.  The one thing I am going to do is go to the supermarket and buy different toilet paper that has no perfumes, lotions, etc.

     

  • Posted

    Hi petals,

    I have the same issue. I have been to many doctors and no one can seem to help me. I have linked the pain though to stress, the more stress and anxiety I have the more pain I seem to have. If I calm my stress and anxiety down it seem to help alot and the pain reduces.

  • Posted

    Hi um I'm new here but I'm 17, not sexually active, and I completely relate to everything you say. The gyno says I'm negative on everything and they can't tell me why I'm in so much pain. I'm so embarrassed about it and it interferes with my day and relationships. What should I do? What have you done since you first posted???

    • Posted

      Hi coppercat!

      You remind me of myself I too have had the same pain since I was around 17, I am 27 now and I still have the pain. I have learned to cope with it honestly. I have been to many doctors and yet no doctor can tell me what's wrong. The things I try now, now that I'm old when that pain rises is a nice hot bath and then immediate ice the urethra after words. I just grab an ice pack and sit on it for 30 min and watch some tv seem to help calm down the pain. I don't suggest tee tra oil that stings really bad, also don't have a doctor cotterize the urethra it did not work plus it took 4 weeks to heal very pain full..ummm.. other helpful thing that I also do so like when the pain comes I really set my mind to not focusing on the urethra and telling myself it doesn't hurt. You would be suprised but your mind kind of has a huge impact on pain so if u can distract yourself with something and keep telling yourself it doesn't hurt and breath in and out deeply 10 time you will find that it will calm down, and the pain will slowly go away but not totally away. If I can remember more tips I will post them here.

      I

    • Posted

      You poor thing!

      Like Britt23 says, a hot bath is good. I use a hot water bottle after (rather than and ice pack), and go to bed and listen to the radio.

      Drink lots of water / water with a bit of bicarbonate of soda in – or water with lemon juice squeezed in.

      I have a jar of coconut oil and I put a little bit in my vagina. It seems to help the irritation, but not sure if it's just a distraction or if it helps moisturise/soothe the urethra too.

      Keep a diary of when its worse. Is it after drinking or eating something?

      Or is it worse before your period?

      I have to take a mild anti-biotic for my skin, and I do wonder if that helps. (1 tablet of oxytetracycline a day). I also sometimes wonder whether there is a hormone imbalance that causes it (because mine is worse before my period – it cold be low oestrogen levels), but I've never seen that discussed anywhere.

      Good luck!

  • Posted

    My doctor tells me my only solution is Botox shot or a pacemaker.
  • Posted

    Hello. My name is g3orgia and i experience the same problems. Except the blood in the urine. I have been denied a urologist and after threatening the doctors i have managed yest3rday to be referred to an urologist but i dont know how long it will take to be seen by one.u need to go abroad if necessary and get tested. The doctors here and the nhs is disgusting.
  • Posted

    I'm so sorry that you're having so much pain I know the feeling I have no infection but I have all this pain everything is normal and my doctor the urologist said that there are only two alternatives for me the first one is to have Botox shot up there that doesn't sound too appealing the next one second one is to have a pacemaker put in down there well let's off I have a pacemaker in my heart I'd rather have no pacemaker or a brand-new one because I cannot have an MRI but those are my only two options so going to the urologist I don't know if that will help let me know what your urologist says to you!

  • Posted

    Hi I know this is super old but this is exactly what I'm going through right  now!! It's gotten so bad I visit A&E regularly and even they say everything is fine. I can't sleep, enjoy myself at parties (when I can even go) or stay in uni for over 2 hours because the burning drives me mad. Did you ever find out what it was??! 

  • Posted

    Hi, I know this is an old thread but I'm having the exact same symptoms as PetalP. Just wondering if anyone has had and luck with managing this pain?

  • Posted

    I can totally relate . I've been going to doctors they keep saying I'm healthy I had two infections they gave me antibiotics they went away but they burning still there I'm seeing a chiropractic now let's see how it goes . I'm 17 and I've being with this for like a year . It's really painful

  • Posted

    I feel your pain.  I have the same issues for the past two year.  Constant feeling of pressure my vulva feels like it's on fire and always no UTI.  I have Hashimotos thyroid and I find when I go hyper this seems to make it worse.  I have seen gyn in hospital told me all looked fine and to use vagifem, which I did for a while but it effected my thyroid meds so I had to stop but i really didn't get any relief. I'm taking cranberry tabs dread sex with my poor husband as it makes thing ten times worse.  I'm going back to my doc in two weeks and asking for referral to urologist.  Fingers crossed I'll get one as I've taken everything else even went to a bladder nurse for to retrain the bladder but it's done nothing for the burning pressure and stinging.  I wish I could just rip it out.

  • Posted

    Wow this is the same way I feel and I'm lowering hope and get angre cuz it seems no dr .no nothing i feel like I go for what .do they can keep giving me s**t that ant rong with me i just wanna cry .sometime. I won't help and fast I feel like I don't have a life with this pain im having

    • Posted

      Urethritis pain fix

      After combing the internet with what looked impossble to cure pain, so many sad stories of wemon that have never found a fix for this problem, it looked like their was no hope. So I was faced with a couple options... it could be viral, bacterial, or fungle. So I started my garlic ( does viral and bacterial) a quick intro to garlic. Dice it up as small as u can, let sit for a few minutes. Breaking the cell walls and letting the juices tango makes the antibiotic part activate. Do not use store bought garlic pills , dont work the same, its easy at home, simple just do it, after five or so minutes shove in a casule and down the hatch. You could just swallow some but its hot an stinky, ive done it, sucks that way. So anyway I took it once a day for 2 days, twice on the third and once on the forth, along with two soaks in a sitz bath, I used baking soda, epsome salt, and witch hazel in the bath. immideate relife that slowly wore off but I belive it helped heal it along with the garlic. By the 4th day I was symptom free and have been since. Just my story.

      If I were to recomend to someone else id say ease into the garlic, one pill with whatever your eating and see how u feel, its a strong medicine, i went overboard once and was taking an entire clove 3 times a day, I got welts allover, too much my body said. Now I know it takes so little to clean the whole body, like half a clove once to twice a day, whatever you can fit in the capsule. Anyway whatever it was is gone, glad it wasnt fungle otherwise it would have been a longer ball game. So heres me. Day one: after work saoking in a sitz bath with a beer, fanning the water In my sore vagina, instant relife, lay down, water flows inside, situp, water pushes out, fan more more situps lol. I actually peed in the tub twice, it was a beautiful pain free experiance. One garlic with dinner. Day two: found out alcohol isnt the best idea no alcohol today. Pain is lessening, after work bath again,

      And one garlic with dinner, no sex today either. Day 3 garlic in the morning cuz I was up early. Cranberry juice at work, pain almost gone today, no bath after work just garlic with dinner, no sex but exited. Day4: no pain, cranberry juice at work, home garlic with dinner. Day 5 no pain again, had a shot of whiskey no pain, next day sex and normal life resumed after. Note it took me about 2weeks before all this to relize it was serious and not going away on its own. I was terrified that I would be just like all the other horror stories out their but, boom fixed in 4 days, hence the post. All you poor gals out their give it a try, worked for me.

  • Posted

    Urethritis pain fix

    After combing the internet with what looked impossble to cure pain, so many sad stories of wemon that have never found a fix for this problem, it looked like their was no hope. So I was faced with a couple options... it could be viral, bacterial, or fungle. So I started my garlic ( does viral and bacterial) a quick intro to garlic. Dice it up as small as u can, let sit for a few minutes. Breaking the cell walls and letting the juices tango makes the antibiotic part activate. Do not use store bought garlic pills , dont work the same, its easy at home, simple just do it, after five or so minutes shove in a casule and down the hatch. You could just swallow some but its hot an stinky, ive done it, sucks that way. So anyway I took it once a day for 2 days, twice on the third and once on the forth, along with two soaks in a sitz bath, I used baking soda, epsome salt, and witch hazel in the bath. immideate relife that slowly wore off but I belive it helped heal it along with the garlic. By the 4th day I was symptom free and have been since. Just my story.

    If I were to recomend to someone else id say ease into the garlic, one pill with whatever your eating and see how u feel, its a strong medicine, i went overboard once and was taking an entire clove 3 times a day, I got welts allover, too much my body said. Now I know it takes so little to clean the whole body, like half a clove once to twice a day, whatever you can fit in the capsule. Anyway whatever it was is gone, glad it wasnt fungle otherwise it would have been a longer ball game. So heres me. Day one: after work saoking in a sitz bath with a beer, fanning the water In my sore vagina, instant relife, lay down, water flows inside, situp, water pushes out, fan more more situps lol. I actually peed in the tub twice, it was a beautiful pain free experiance. One garlic with dinner. Day two: found out alcohol isnt the best idea no alcohol today. Pain is lessening, after work bath again, And one garlic with dinner, no sex today either. Day 3 garlic in the morning cuz I was up early. Cranberry juice at work, pain almost gone today, no bath after work just garlic with dinner, no sex but exited. Day4: no pain, cranberry juice at work, home garlic with dinner. Day 5 no pain again, had a shot of whiskey no pain, next day sex and normal life resumed after. Note it took me about 2weeks before all this to relize it was serious and not going away on its own. I was terrified that I would be just like all the other horror stories out their but, boom fixed in 4 days, hence the post. All you poor gals out their give it a try, worked for me.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.