Cloudy urine may be a sign of a urinary tract infection, sediment from a distended bladder, blood in urine, an enterovesicular fistula, gonorrhea, Schistosomiasis, or vaginal discharge. The color and clarity (transparency) or cloudiness (turbidity) of urine are the most common signals to alert us to a number of urinary system disorders. They may be a symptom of kidney stones, blood in urine (microhematuria) caused by infection of the kidneys or bladder, even late stages of prostate cancer or prostate enlargement can manifest cloudy urine brought on by blood or sediment that has accumulated in an obstructed bladder.

Cloudy urine and bloody urine are common after effects of treatments for prostate cancer, such as a radical prostatectomy whether it was an open prostatectomy, laparoscopic prostatectomy, or da Vinci prostatectomy.  Blood in urine is more common after prostate enlargement procedures then cloudy urine, some of the benign prostatic hyperplasia solutions that cause hematuria are a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), green light laser (BPH laser), and radio frequency therapy.  

Prostate enlargement (benign prostatic hyperplasia) a common urological occurrence among older males, may create incomplete bladder emptying. If the bladder does not empty and flush out all of the urine, then any microbes that may be present will have a new “protected home” with which to multiply and expand into other parts of the urinary tract. This cystitis (bladder infection) is seen as cloudy and bloody urine. Cystitis is also felt as painful urination (burning urination), and it also creates frequent urination. Incomplete bladder emptying also allows the buildup of small particles that eventually form sediment in the bladder. Occasionally this sediment will come out in the urine which makes it look cloudy.

Cloudy urine in women manifests itself more often, then it does in men, since a women’s anatomical structure lends itself to e coli formation in the bladder. E coli are the culprit in the majority of urinary tract infections. Our urologists will have a urine sample cultured to determine the exact micro organism that is creating the urinary tract infection.  A prescription will then be made for medication to destroy the colonies of micro organisms that may be residing in the kidneys, ureters, bladder or urethra.