One of the most common early symptoms of bladder cancer is blood in your urine. You’ll likely notice it in the toilet after you pee. It doesn’t happen in all cases, however.
Bladder cancer happens when cancerous tissues grow in or around the bladder. The bladder stores urine from the kidneys and drains it through your urethra.
The condition can cause bright red, pink, or dark brown blood in the urine, also known as hematuria. However, it does not always cause blood in the urine, and other conditions can also cause the same symptom.
It’s important to contact your doctor for an accurate diagnosis if you notice blood in your urine.
Read on to learn more about why bladder cancer causes blood in the urine, what it looks like, and more.
One of the most common symptoms of bladder cancer is blood in your urine. It occurs in around 80% of cases.
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Although blood in the urine is a common symptom, not everybody will experience it. In some cases, it can also come and go.
Sometimes, it occurs in small amounts that may not be visible. A urine test may be the only way to confirm the presence of microscopic hematuria.
When you have bladder cancer, blood gets in the urine from a cancerous tumor that starts hemorrhaging. This means a blood vessel in the tumor or near the tumor has burst and is leaking blood into the bladder.
Small cancerous tumors that have just started growing have small, delicate blood vessels that are prone to burst easily. This is why hematuria is a common early symptom of bladder cancer.
At this stage, blood may not be visible in the urine. This is known as microscopic hematuria. It may only be noticeable in a urinalysis test.
As the tumor grows, it can also cause blood vessels to burst in nearby tissues. As more blood leaks into the urine, the color of your urine may change to a more noticeable pink, red, or dark tint. This is known as gross hematuria.
Microscopic hematuria may not always cause any visible changes to your urine besides a very slight change in color.
Most of the obvious symptoms happen when you have gross hematuria. This means your urine will darken significantly enough to be visible to the naked eye.
Gross hematuria might cause your urine to turn various shades of the following colors:
- pink
- red
- brown
In some cases, you may also notice dark red or brown chunks in your urine when you have gross hematuria. This can result from blood clots that form in the bladder that exit your body when you pee. Blood clots
Hematuria
However, you may also experience hematuria alongside other common symptoms of bladder cancer, such as:
- pain in one or both sides of your lower torso
- pain in your pelvic area
- lower back pain when sitting and standing
- pain on your lower right or lower left abdomen
Other symptoms of bladder cancer can include:
- feeling pain when you pee (dysuria)
- having to pee more often than usual (polyuria)
- feeling a strong, sudden urge to pee
- having urine leak out (urinary incontinence)
- abdominal pain
- lower back pain
- pain or tenderness in your bones
- fatigue
- unexplained weight loss
Learn more about symptoms of bladder cancer.
Eating certain foods, such as beets, can change the color of your urine temporarily. However, if color changes persist, then you should contact your doctor for an accurate diagnosis or to rule out bladder cancer.
Contact a doctor right away if you:
- see blood clots in your urine
- experience extreme pain when you urinate
- are unable to urinate at all
- have frequent urine leakage
- rapidly lose a significant amount of weight for no obvious reason
- experience extreme pain in your lower back or abdomen
- feel extremely weak or fatigued
Here are some frequently asked questions about blood in urine.
Can certain foods or medications make urine appear red without blood?
Foods such as beets can cause your urine to appear red, as can some medications. A urine test can determine whether the color change in your urine is due to the presence of blood or some other cause.
What are some common infections that can cause hematuria?
A bacterial infection from Streptococcus or a viral hepatitis infection
Can kidney or bladder stones lead to blood in urine?
Kidney stones and bladder stones can cause blood in the urine.
Is it possible to have blood in urine after strenuous exercise?
Yes, strenuous exercise can cause blood in the urine. It’s best to contact a doctor to confirm that this is the cause and to rule out any underlying conditions that can cause blood in the urine.
Blood in the urine, or hematuria, is a common symptom of bladder cancer. Gross hematuria can cause visible blood, while microscopic hematuria may only be noticeable with a urine test.
The blood may appear pink, red, or brown. Blood clots may also be present.
However, bladder cancer doesn’t always cause blood in the urine.
Contact a doctor as soon as you notice any changes in your urine color. They can order tests to confirm the underlying cause.