Bladder Stones
Hard lumps of minerals form inside the bladder are bladder stones. Smaller stones that can pass through the bladder while urinating won’t cause any symptoms. But people with bladder stones often experience signs since the stones might irritate the bladder wall or block the urine flow.
Bladder stones symptoms
- Lower abdomen pain
- Pain or difficulty while urinating
- Urge to urinate more often
- Dark-colored or cloudy urine
- Blood in the urine
Most bladder stone cases affect men over 50 since it is directly linked to prostate enlargement. But men and women can develop bladder stones. It rarely affects children and leads them to bedwetting or priapism, a persistent and painful erection lasting for hours.
Bladder stones causes
Bladder stones develop when you can’t empty your urine bladder. For men, the common reason for developing stones is the enlarged prostate gland that blocks urine flow. When the urine stays inside the bladder for an extended period, its chemicals form crystals that harden into bladder stones. For women, the common reason for developing stones is cystocele or bladder prolapse, where their bladder wall weakens and drops into their vulva or vagina, which can block the urine flow.
Other reasons for bladder stones are:
- Neurogenic bladder (damaged nerves)
- Bladder diverticula
- Bladder augmentation surgery
Bladder stones preventions
If you have already had bladder stones, there are chances that they might come back, but there are things you can do to prevent them from happening.
- Increase your everyday fluid intake, maybe up to 2 or 3 liters, by doing so; you can lower the concentration of your urine.
- Empty your bladder without delay.
- Try urinating again within 20 seconds if you cannot empty your bladder at the first attempt; this is double voiding, which helps to empty your bladder more efficiently.
- Avoid constipation or things that trigger your constipation.
Reviewed by – Dr. Priyanka, MBBS MD Microbiology
Page last reviewed: 16 JULY 2022