A urologist treats the urinary tract in everyone, and the male reproductive system as well. See one if you have blood in your urine, a change in how you pass urine that has lasted more than a few weeks, pain in the flank or groin, a lump or swelling in the testicle, or difficulty with erections. Blood in the urine should be assessed even if it happens once and clears. AIM Health Care provides prostate and urology care at Drax Hall, St Ann.
What does a urologist actually treat?
Urology covers the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra in both men and women, plus the prostate, testicles and penis in men. In practice that means urinary symptoms, kidney stones, prostate conditions, blood in the urine, incontinence, recurrent infections, erectile difficulties, fertility concerns and testicular lumps.
Some of that is managed with medication and advice; some needs a scan, a test or a procedure. You can see the consultants who lead this care on our clinical team page.
Urinary symptoms worth an appointment
Book a consultation if, for more than a few weeks, you have:
- A weak or interrupted stream, or difficulty starting
- Needing to go urgently, or far more often than you used to
- Getting up repeatedly at night to pass urine
- A feeling that the bladder has not emptied
- Leaking, or not reaching the toilet in time
- Burning or pain on passing urine that keeps returning
These symptoms are common as men get older and they are often treatable. They are also not something to simply accept as ageing without first finding out what is causing them.
The prostate
The prostate is a small gland that sits below the bladder and surrounds the urethra. It commonly enlarges with age, which is why urinary symptoms and the prostate are so often discussed together.
An enlarged prostate is not cancer, and most men with urinary symptoms do not have cancer. But the symptoms overlap, which is exactly why the assessment matters rather than guesswork. Prostate concerns, including family history, are a reasonable reason to book even with no symptoms at all — your doctor can tell you what is appropriate for your age and history.
Blood in the urine — do not wait
Visible blood in the urine needs assessment every time, even if it happens once and then clears completely, and even if there is no pain. It frequently has an ordinary explanation such as an infection or a stone. It is on this list because the explanations that are not ordinary are much easier to deal with when they are found early.
Kidney stones
Stones typically announce themselves as severe pain in the back or flank that comes in waves, sometimes moving to the groin, often with nausea or blood in the urine. In a hot climate, dehydration is a genuine contributing factor. Sudden severe flank pain needs assessment promptly, not at the next convenient time.
Testicular lumps and swelling
Any new lump, swelling, heaviness or change in a testicle should be examined. Most turn out to be benign — cysts and fluid collections are common — but testicular problems are among the few that affect younger men in particular, and they are straightforward to assess.
Sudden, severe testicular pain is different: that is an emergency, not an appointment.
Erections and sexual health
Difficulty with erections is common and treatable, and it is worth raising for a second reason: it can be an early sign of a circulation or metabolic problem elsewhere, including the heart. A consultation about erectile difficulty is often also a general health check, which is a far better outcome than buying something online.
The real barrier is not medical
Men consistently present later than women across almost every specialty, and urology is where that gap is widest. The symptoms are private, the examination is unappealing, and the whole subject is easy to postpone.
What is worth knowing is that most urology appointments are a conversation, a urine test and an examination — and that nearly every condition in this article is easier to treat earlier. You can ask for a male clinician, and you can bring someone with you.
What happens at the appointment?
The consultation begins with your history: what the symptoms are, how long they have been there, and what else is going on with your health. A urine sample is usually taken. An examination follows, which depends on the symptoms and will be explained to you first.
Where a scan or a test is needed, AIM provides diagnostic imaging including ultrasound and laboratory services on site, and day-case procedures can be carried out at our outpatient surgical centre.
Bring a list of your medications, any previous results, and a note of how long the symptoms have been going on.
Where can you see a urologist in St Ann?
AIM Health Care provides urology consultations at Lot 12 Business Center, Drax Hall, Saint Ann’s Bay. You can book an appointment online, call (876) 972-6315, or send us a message.
This article is general information and cannot take the place of an examination. For advice about your own health, book an appointment with the team at AIM Health Care and we will talk it through with you.