What are the symptoms of bladder stones?

Written by Zeng Zhong
Urology
Updated on March 11, 2025
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The symptoms of bladder stones primarily include frequent urination, urgent urination, painful urination, visible blood in the urine, and sometimes interrupted urination. Bladder stones mainly form when kidney stones move down through the ureters into the bladder. Another cause may be due to urinary obstruction, such as prostate enlargement in males, an elevated bladder neck, etc., leading to urinary retention, which in turn causes the formation of bladder stones. Bladder stones are a common disease in the urinary system and can be cured with proper treatment at a hospital’s urology department.

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Written by Zeng Zhong
Urology
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Can bladder stones cause frequent and urgent urination?

Patients with bladder stones may experience frequent and urgent urination, and some may also experience painful urination or even blood in the urine. This is primarily due to the movement of stones within the bladder, which irritates the mucous membrane. It is essential to treat bladder stones promptly. Treatment can be sought at the urology department of local hospitals, where the choice of treatment method depends on the size of the stones. Options include extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy or surgical treatment.

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Written by Zeng Zhong
Urology
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Are bladder stones easy to pass?

Patients with bladder stones, if the stones are less than 0.5 cm in size, can promote the natural expulsion of the stones by drinking more water and urinating frequently. If the stones are larger, over 0.5 cm in size, treatment may require extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy or surgery. For patients undergoing extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, generally, if the stones are between 0.5-1.5 cm in size, this treatment can be performed. After the treatment, it is also necessary to drink more water and urinate frequently to facilitate the expulsion of the stones. For larger stones, over 1.5 cm, surgical treatment is required.

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Written by Guan Hai Fang
Urology
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Bladder stone symptoms in women

The most common symptom of bladder stones is pain, often episodic pain in the lower back or upper abdomen, severe and unbearable. The pain can travel along the ureter, radiating to the lateral abdomen and can also involve the labia. Then, there may also be hematuria; usually, it is microscopic hematuria, but a few patients may have gross hematuria, meaning that the urine visibly turns red during urination. Additionally, there may be symptoms of nausea and vomiting, possibly due to the stones causing mucosal ruptures in the kidney, ureter, or bladder, leading to inflammation. Furthermore, the stones might press on the intrinsic nerves of the ureter and intestines, causing nausea and vomiting, often accompanying renal colic. Another typical sign is bladder irritation, characterized by symptoms such as frequent urination, urgent urination, and painful urination.

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Written by Zeng Zhong
Urology
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How big must a bladder stone be to require surgery?

Bladder stones are a common type of urinary system calculus. Generally, stones with a diameter greater than 1.5 centimeters require surgical treatment. Currently, minimally invasive surgery is performed, which is transurethral ureteroscopic holmium laser lithotripsy. This involves inserting a ureteroscope through the urethra into the bladder, locating the bladder stones under direct vision, and using a holmium laser fiber to fragment them, while simultaneously extracting the broken pieces.

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Written by Zou De Bo
Urology
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What should be paid attention to in the diet for bladder stones?

If the bladder stones are oxalate stones, to prevent their formation, one should avoid eating foods high in oxalates, such as spinach, mushrooms, potatoes, strong tea, coffee, chocolate, etc. If the stones are urate, one should reduce the intake of foods high in uric acid, such as animal offal and seafood. It is important to drink more water regularly to develop a good habit of hydration, as increased water intake can dilute the urine crystals, making it easier for stones to be expelled from the body. Thirdly, eat less high-fat food and avoid high-cholesterol foods, such as animal offal, abstain from smoking and drinking, and reduce meat consumption.