Painful peeing after sex can be caused by a variety of factors. Often, this pain can be easily resolved with the right lifestyle changes and treatment from a doctor.
The most common cause of painful peeing is a urinary tract infection. This can happen when bacteria enter the urethra from outside or from inside the bladder.
Irritation of the Urethra
In men, painful urination after ejaculation is common and can have a number of causes. For example, vigorous sex or masturbation can irritate the urethra—the tube that takes urine out of your body. This can cause pain when you pee because it prevents the smooth flow of semen from the testicles to the penis.
A medical condition called urethral stricture can also cause pain when you pee. This is when there’s scarring that blocks part or all of the urethra, which decreases your normal amount of sperm and urine that you expel during orgasm. Symptoms are usually mild and go away as the blockage heals, but you should see a doctor for a diagnosis.
Irritation of the urethra can also happen when you use the wrong type of lubrication during sex. If you’re using a lubricant that’s not designed for the genital area, it can lead to irritation and even a bladder infection.
It’s also possible that you’re experiencing a urinary tract infection, which can cause your pee to burn. The symptoms of a UTI include a burning sensation when you pee, a feeling of urgency to urinate, and a urine that’s cloudy or smells bad. This is an infection that’s usually caused by bacteria, but sometimes by a virus. It can be treated with antibiotics. STIs—like gonorrhea, chlamydia, or herpes—can also cause a UTI.
Urinary Tract Infection
The burning sensation you feel when you pee after sex (medically called dysuria) may be caused by an infection in your bladder or the tube that carries urine out of your body, the urethra. These infections are often caused by bacteria that enter your body through the urethra during unprotected sex or masturbation. Occasionally, it can happen as the result of chemical irritation from soaps or other products you use on your genital area, like scented toilet paper and feminine hygiene sprays.
A UTI can be diagnosed with a simple at-home urine test that checks for bacteria, or by going to the doctor for a urinalysis. Your doctor will ask you to empty your bladder before the test and may request a sample of your vaginal fluid. The bacteria in the sample will be screened and if they’re found, you might be given antibiotics to treat your infection.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis can also cause a burning sensation when you pee. These infections are usually spread through sexual contact and can be treated with antibiotics.
A burning sensation when you pee after sex can also be caused by a condition called interstitial cystitis, which is an inflammation of the bladder. This condition can be triggered by many different things, including sexual activity and certain medications. The doctors POPSUGAR spoke with recommend practicing good bladder health to help prevent bladder inflammation.
Prostate Infection
The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It makes fluid that contains sperm and helps protect them as they move toward a woman’s egg. Bacteria from the lower urinary tract can get into the prostate and cause an infection called prostatitis. There are four types of prostatitis: acute bacterial prostatitis, chronic bacterial prostatitis, inflammatory nonbacterial prostatitis and symptomatic inflammatory prostatitis. Symptoms of these infections include pain while urinating, pelvic or back pain and painful ejaculation.
Your doctor may order a urine test or a blood test to check for signs of a prostate infection, such as pain while you urinate, a burning sensation when you pee and a bad odor from your urine. Your doctor may also recommend prostate massage or a medication such as alpha blockers (such as tamsulosin [Flomax] and terazosin [Hytrin]) to relax the muscles of the bladder neck and urethra.
Sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomonas, can also cause burning pee. STIs are spread through unprotected sex or sex with multiple partners and can also lead to painful urination.
Sexually Transmitted Infections
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are diseases or conditions that can be spread through sexual activity. They can cause a burning sensation when you pee after sex, and they also may lead to pain in the groin or pelvic area. A doctor can diagnose an STI by taking a sample of your urine or blood and a sample of the fluid inside your penis.
Men can have a bacterial infection called syphilis that causes a burning sensation when they pee. Syphilis is treated with medicine. Another STI that can cause a burning sensation when you pee is trichomoniasis. Symptoms include pain or itching in the groin and vagina, painful or frequent urination and a discharge from the anus or penis (in men). STIs can be spread to your sexual partners even when you don’t have any symptoms.
Other infections that can cause a burning sensation when you urinate include urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTIs happen when bacteria travel from the urethra to the bladder and cause infection. They are more common in women than in men. A UTI can also affect the prostate or the epididymis (a tube at the back of the testicles that stores and transports sperm).
Other infections that can cause a burning sensation while you urinate are fungal infections, such as candida yeast infection. Medications and a person’s health history can also contribute to a UTI.
