1. Urinary Incontinence in Women Slideshow Pictures
2. Urinary Incontinence in Men Slideshow Pictures
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Medical Author:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Your health-care professional will first review your history, which will include questions about your overall health and previous episodes of dysuria. Information about the frequency of urination and sexual and social history will often be included. The extent of the physical examination will depend to some extent on the history information. The examination will usually include an abdominal examination and often an examination of the external genitalia and a gynecologic examination for women.

A urine sample will be obtained. In the office, a dipstick test of the urine can often be done and give further clues to the cause of the dysuria. These dipstick tests can indicate the presence of bacteria and blood (both common in patients with an urinary tract infection). The sample then is sent to the laboratory where it is examined under the microscope (to confirm the presence of blood or white blood cells). A culture of the urine is performed to see if bacteria grow (both confirming a bacterial infection as well as identifying the exact bacteria causing the infection).

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