Causes of itching in the urethra

From time to time, every second person faces in his life with itching in the urethra. Itching is just a superficial manifestation of the problem. There are a large number of reasons that cause such a state, and they are not always banal.

Since the intimate sphere is not always convenient for discussion, here we will try to answer some questions that a person with such manifestations may have. Why does itching occur in the urethra? What causes such a condition? How can you help?

Causes

The bacterial flora located on the mucous membranes of the urethra is conditionally pathogenic. There is a certain set of bacteria that always live with a person, and only when the body enters an environment unfavorable for its existence, these peacefully living substances manifest themselves as pathogenic flora. Thus causing various uncomfortable sensations in the body in the form of itching, burning and pain.

Nonspecific flora can make a person complain that it itches in an intimate place under the following circumstances:

• decrease in the body's immune responses;
• long-term use of antibacterial agents;
• microtrauma of the urethra;
• sexual intercourse without a contraceptive;
• complication of viral infections;
• allergic reactions to drugs.

However, there are still conditions in which itching very often occurs - this is diabetes mellitus and menopause. In these conditions, itching in an intimate place occurs regardless of the flora located on the mucous membranes. In diabetes, this occurs when sugar in the body is elevated, and in menopause, due to dry mucous membranes that occur during hormonal changes.

Features of the female body are such that vaginitis can easily turn into urethritis

When hormonal drugs are taken for a long time for the purpose of contraception or for medicinal purposes, women experience itching and burning sensation in the urethra. Most often, thrush is caused by Candida fungi, which worsen during the days of the menstrual cycle. Initially, candidal vaginitis (thrush) occurs, and then, the discharge, getting into the urethra, causes urethritis.

Itching during urination in women is associated with the physiological characteristics of the female body, monthly cycles constantly exacerbate the already existing pathogenic flora. However, all the symptoms that occur in the female body are more erased than in the male.

Types of specific urethritis

If the onset of itching occurred suddenly and other symptoms appeared in the form of pain, burning, and discharge, then you should immediately consult a doctor. Because if itching appears in the urethra in men, this is most likely a symptom caused by a specific flora that can only enter the male body through sexual contact. And if the sexual intercourse was without appropriate protection, then there is no doubt.

There is a specific flora that causes urethritis in men and women, and, accordingly, all other symptoms, in the form of itching, urge to urinate and discharge.

As already said, candidal urethritis cause Candida fungi. Such urethritis is manifested by frequent urination, itching in the urethra and curdled discharge, the discharge is more abundant in women. In men, they appear as a whitish coating. But sometimes, if the infection is not treated, then discharge may also occur in men, it is characteristic that they appear after urination.

The treatment for this condition is to take antifungal drugs. Irrigation of the genital organs with a solution of miramistin and chlorhexidine. Washing the urethra with antiseptic solutions is prescribed for chronic forms of candidal urethritis.

Trichomonas urethritis- manifests itself with the same symptoms, but the discharge from this infection will be whitish - frothy, more pronounced symptoms of itching and burning. It is characteristic of a trichomonas infection that itching begins not only in the urethra, but also the skin around the genitals. Due to strong, foamy discharge, redness appears in the urethra.

The wavy membrane on the body of Trichomonas allows you to move very quickly in the body

The peculiarities of the course of this type of urethritis in women are that it starts to itch not only near the urethra, but also in the vagina and in the area of ​​the labia.

The next type of urethritis is caused by chlamydia. Symptoms are less pronounced than with other types of infection. Patients are more concerned about whitish discharge, itching and pain when urinating. If chlamydia is not treated, the symptoms will gradually subside and urethritis will become chronic.

The infection is dangerous for the female body in that it can cause infertility when it passes to the internal organs. In men, such an infection, in the absence of timely treatment, passes into prostatitis. It is very important when passing a urine test for a sowing tank, to collect exactly the first portion of morning urine, which will contain the maximum number of microorganisms.

Mycoplasmas can also cause inflammation in the urethra, which will manifest similar symptoms, however, infection with this type of bacteria rarely causes an acute course of the disease. Clinical manifestations are mild.

As a rule, in women during the monthly cycle, it itches not only in the urethra, during this period the infection worsens and the itching spreads to nearby skin areas. The monthly cycle is, as it were, a provoking factor for the manifestation of the disease. After the cycle ends, all manifestations gradually subside.

gonorrheal urethritis- This is a very serious and dangerous sexually transmitted disease caused by gonococci. Its peculiarity is that thick purulent discharge from the urethra appears before urination. There is not only itching in the urethra, but also burning, pain, a constant desire to urinate.

Characteristic of this disease is the adhesion of the urethral valves in the morning, from a purulent discharge. When viewed in the canal area, there is a clear redness, maceration of the skin from irritating secretions. In the area of ​​the urethra in women, upon examination, a purulent discharge flows out. Gonorrheal urethritis requires more detailed consideration in other articles devoted only to this topic.

Diagnosis and treatment

Successful treatment of pruritus requires a correct diagnosis. It is very important to determine which type of bacteria caused such symptoms. This requires an examination by a doctor who will prescribe a series of tests.

A swab from the urethra is one of the main tests for the successful treatment of itching.

Among them:

• Analysis of urine;
• blood test;
• smear from the urethral canal;
• sowing a smear to establish the flora;
• sowing a smear from the urethra to establish sensitivity to medications.

For a more accurate diagnosis, when taking a smear on the flora from the urethra, the patient is not recommended to do the toilet of the external genitalia with soap or antiseptics. It will be enough to do this with ordinary warm water. The material obtained by taking a smear is applied to a glass slide and examined under a microscope.

For seeding tank, the secretions from the urethra are applied to nutrient media in Petri dishes and placed in a thermostat to form colonies of this type of bacteria. After grown strains have formed on the nutrient medium, different types of antibacterial drugs are placed there and sensitivity to this type of antibiotic is determined.

Treatment is possible only after the seeding tank. However, this will require a certain amount of time, on average 7 to 10 days. In order not to lose time, antiseptic drugs are prescribed to start treatment, which act statically on bacterial cells (stop reproduction), and then antibacterial drugs that destroy microorganisms are already prescribed.

Itching in the urethral canal is a symptom of many diseases, so it should not be ignored. You need to look for the cause and start timely treatment. You can get rid of this problem if you consult a qualified doctor.