Burning Sensation When Urinating In Women

While burning sensation when urinating in women is particularly common in our society today, there are many reasons as to why it occurs so easily and frequently. Firstly, it is vital to understand that the female anatomical structure plays a huge role in causing this whole issue.

Because the opening of the female urethra is located rather close in proximity with the vagina and the rectum, which are the perfect incubators for bacteria, the bacteria that thrive in these places could easily passage to the urethra opening, the tube that carries urine from the urinary bladder out of the body.

To make the matter worse, female urethra is only about one and a half inch or 4 centimetres long. Unlike the male urethra which could easily span up to 8 inches (20 cm or more),  the short urethra in female has made it easy for the bacteria not only to infect the urethra, but the urinary bladder as well. In fact, the bacteria could even reach other organs in the urinary system especially the kidneys which can cause even more serious problems.

Burning Sensation When Urinating In Women

Now that you understand the main reason behind the feeling of burning sensation while urinating, let’s take a deeper look at the bacteria that causes this urinary tract infection. Most of the infections are caused by only one type of bacteria, the Escherichia coli (E.coli). E.coli is generally found in the colon or rectum and with the transfer of this micro-organism to the urethra; it quickly clings to the wall of the urethra opening and begins to multiply. With the explosive growth of the bacteria in the urethra, infection then occurs. Known as urethritis, this is the very first phase of the urinary tract infection.

When you urinate through an inflamed urethra caused by infection, you would feel the burning pain right away. Depending on the severity of the inflammation, the pain could range from being mild burning sensation to urination that feels like peeing razor blades. The situation is akin to contacting an open would with salt. If you are experiencing a sharp burning pain that is almost unbearable when you urinate, try peeing in the shower instead. It would help alleviate some pain. Read more about burning urethra here.

Besides bacterial infection, there are also other reasons of burning sensation when urinating in women in particular. Intake of certain foods has also been known to cause the burning pain. Having too much spicy food stuffs or drinking too much coffee for instance has been among some of the main causes. In fact, infection by yeast is also a possibility though it is not as common as bacterial infection.

So depending on the real cause behind the burning sensation when urinating, you should either eliminate the bacteria or stop taking the foods that causes the pain.