A viewer sent The Doctors an email saying she has been experiencing pain while urinating but she also has discharge. “Would a UTI cause vaginal discharge?”
OB/GYN Dr. Nita Landry explains the urethra is a small tube at the base of the bladder that allows urine to exit. If the urethra becomes infected from viruses like herpes, or bacteria like E.coli, gonorrhea or chlamydia, the woman may get something called urethritis, which is an inflammation of the urethra.
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The woman can have burning with urination as well as some urethral discharge so technically yes, Dr. Nita says, however, the vagina is also in that vicinity and more commonly women will have vaginal discharge from an STD, a yeast infection, or bacterial vaginosis, so it’s difficult for patients to tell where the discharge is coming from.
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Dr. Nita says as a general rule if you have abnormal discharge get it checked out! She also notes that some women who have a UTI won’t also necessarily have urethral discharge.
