Bladder stones
Bladder stones are hard lumps of minerals, which form in the bladder, when it doesn’t completely empty of urine (pee). See your GP if you have persistent abdominal pain, need to pee more often, or have blood in your urine.
Symptoms of bladder stones
Bladder stones may not cause any symptoms if they're small enough to be passed out of the bladder when you pee.
Most people with bladder stones do experience symptoms. This is because the stones either irritate the wall of the bladder or block the flow of urine.
Typical symptoms of bladder stones include:
- lower abdominal pain, which can often be severe
- men may also have pain in or around their penis
- pain or difficulty when peeing
- peeing more often (particularly at night)
- cloudy or dark-coloured urine
- blood in the urine
Most cases of bladder stones affect men aged 50 or older. This is because of the link with prostate enlargement.
It's rare for bladder stones to affect children.
In children, they can lead to bedwetting and some boys may experience priapism – a persistent and often painful erection that can last for hours.
When to see your GP
You should see your GP if you experience any of the above symptoms.
This is particularly if you:
- have persistent abdominal pain
- need to pee more often
- have blood in your urine
These symptoms may not necessarily be caused by bladder stones, but need to be investigated further.
If your GP thinks you have a stone in your bladder, you'll be referred to hospital for testing.
A blood and a urine test will probably be carried out first.
A blood test will help detect if there's an infection inside your bladder.
The next stage is to take an X-ray of your bladder.
Not all types of bladder stones show up clearly on X-rays, so a negative X-ray result doesn't always mean that you don't have bladder stones.
An Ultrasound scan may be used instead of an X-ray.
Bladder stones can also be identified using a cystoscopy. A thin, fibre optic tube with a light and a camera at one end (a cystoscope) is inserted into the urethra (the tube that carries urine out of the body) and moved up into the bladder.
The camera relays images to a screen, where they can be seen by the urologist (specialist in treating bladder conditions).
Causes of bladder stones
Bladder stones usually form when you can't completely empty your bladder of urine (pee).
A common reason for this in men is having an enlarged prostate gland that blocks the flow of urine.
If urine sits in the bladder for a long time, chemicals in the urine form crystals, which harden into bladder stones.
Treating bladder stones
Surgery is usually needed to remove the stones from the bladder.
The most common procedure is a cystolitholapaxy.
This is where a thin tube (cystoscope) with a camera at the end is used to find the bladder stones.
The cystoscope will then use 'stone-crushing' devices, lasers or ultrasound to break up the stones before they're removed.
Where possible, it's important to treat the underlying causes of bladder stones to prevent new stones developing in the future.
Preventing bladder stones
If you have a urinary tract infection (UTI), to prevent bladder stones forming, you should:
- increase your daily fluid intake to two to three litres to lower the concentration of your urine
- regularly empty your bladder without delaying
- urinate again 10 to 20 seconds after your first try (if you're unable to empty your bladder completely first time) - this is called "double voiding" and it helps empty the bladder more efficiently
- avoid constipation (regular laxatives may be recommended)
More useful links
The information on this page has been adapted from original content from the NHS website.
For further information see terms and conditions.