Urology
If you have any concerns or questions about your urinary tract, it is important to speak with a doctor. Urologists are medical doctors who specialise in treating conditions that affect the urinary tract in men, women and children, and diseases that affect the reproductive system. These conditions range from peeing too much or too little to being unable to father a child.
What conditions do urologists treat?
Urologists treat problems with urination, discharges, and other conditions that affect both men and women. These include:
- Frequent urinary tract infections.
- Inability to control urination (urinary incontinence).
- Blood in the urine (hematuria).
- Conditions of the male reproductive system, including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH, or enlarged prostate).
- Interstitial cystitis (painful bladder).
Urologists also treat conditions such as:
- Cancers of the bladder, kidneys and prostate.
- Erectile dysfunction (ED).
- Kidney stones.
- Pelvic organ prolapse.
- Congenital urinary tract issues (problems with the urinary tract that you are born with).
Reasons you might see a Urologist
If you have any of the following symptoms, it’s important to talk to a doctor about them:
- Urine problems include trouble urinating, including getting started or having a strong flow of urine, pain, cloudy urine or blood in the urine.
- Urinary symptoms like frequent urination or the need to urinate more often than usual.
- Feeling like your vagina is falling down, or having a heaviness in your vagina.
- Infertility
- Pelvic Pain
What does a urologist do?
A urologist is a doctor who specialises in the diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract issues. Some urologists might practice without doing surgery, but all urologists are trained as surgeons and must have the surgical knowledge to perform procedures on the bladder, prostate, and urethra.
There are subspecialties in urology, including:
- Paediatric urology
- Urologic oncology
- Kidney transplantation
- Sexual medicine
- Male infertility
- Genitourinary reconstruction
- Minimally invasive surgery (robotic, laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery).