In brief
In brief
- Pain while peeing and often peeing small amounts can be caused by a bladder infection.
- For men:
- Call your general practitioner and bring a urine sample (collected first thing in the morning) the same day.
- If a man has a bladder infection, antibiotics are always needed.
- For women:
- You can wait to see if the symptoms will disappear on their own.
- Call your general practitioner and bring a urine sample (collected first thing in the morning) sooner if you have a lot of pain or discomfort.
- Your general practitioner can prescribe antibiotics to help your symptoms disappear faster.
- Call your general practitioner if peeing is painful and:
- you have a fever or feel ill
- you have pain in your side
- Dutch healthcare practices in general may differ from what you are used to in your home country. Learn more.
Symptoms in men
What will I notice when I have a bladder infection (man)?
A man with a bladder infection can have 1 or more of the following symptoms:
- Pain or a burning sensation when peeing.
- Feeling that you need to pee more often. Peeing a small amount each time.
- Even the feeling of having to pee can be painful.
- You can also have pain in your lower abdomen (tummy) or back.
- The urine looks different (cloudy) or can be bloody.
- The urine can have a strong or bad smell.
Do you also have other symptoms?
A bladder infection can lead to a prostate infection (in Dutch). You could also get a kidney infection (in Dutch). You may then have 1 or more of the following symptoms:
- feeling ill
- fever (38 degrees Celsius or higher)
- pain between the anus and the testicles (balls)
- pain in your side
Symptoms in women
What will I notice if I have a bladder infection (woman)?
A woman with a bladder infection can have 1 or more of the following symptoms:
- Pain or a burning sensation when peeing.
- Feeling that you need to pee more often. Peeing a small amount each time.
- Even the feeling of having to pee can be painful.
- You can also have pain in your lower abdomen (tummy) or back.
- The urine looks different (cloudy) or can be bloody.
- The urine can have a strong or bad smell.
A bladder infection normally does not cause a fever.
When to call
When should I call the doctor if I think I might have a bladder infection?
For men:
- Call your general practitioner family doctor or the out-of-hours service the same day if you think you have a bladder infection. Have your urine tested (in Dutch). It is best to collect it first thing in the morning. Please also fill in this questionnaire (questionnaire in Dutch).
Men are always given antibiotics for a bladder infection. - Call your general practitioner during office hours if you think your symptoms might be caused by a sexually transmitted infection (STI) (in Dutch). For example, because you also have fluid coming out of your penis (in Dutch) after unsafe sex.
For women:
- You do not have to call right away. You can wait if your symptoms aren’t so bad. In half of women the symptoms disappear on their own in 1 week.
- Are the symptoms very annoying? Or have they lasted more than a week? Call your family doctor during office hours. Have your urine tested (in Dutch). It is best to collect it first thing in the morning. Also fill in this questionnaire (questionnaire in Dutch).
- Don’t wait, but call your family doctor or the out-of-hours service the same day if 1 of the following applies to you:
- You are pregnant (in Dutch).
- You feel ill.
- You have a fever (38 degrees Celsius or higher) or pain in your side. In that case, you could have a kidney infection (in Dutch).
- You have a chronic illness, such as diabetes or kidney problems.
- Call your general practitioner during office hours if you think your symptoms might be caused by a sexually transmitted infection (STI) (in Dutch).
Differences
What might be different from your home country?
Doctors in the Netherlands are less likely to prescribe antibiotics and other medication because of their possible disadvantages. Read more.
More information
More information about bladder infection
This information is based on:
- the guideline for general practitioners: the NHG-Standard ‘Urinary Tract Infections’ (Urineweginfecties) (in Dutch)