General Health · Urinary

Blood in Urine — What It Means and What Happens Next

Most causes are treatable and not serious. All of them need investigating — and the first call is your GP, not a private scan.

See your GP about visible blood in urine — every time

Even one episode. Even if it was painless. Even if it has already stopped and your urine is clear again. Visible blood in the urine is one of the symptoms the NHS investigates on an urgent pathway, and your GP can start that within days. A private ultrasound cannot substitute for it — the bladder examination that this pathway depends on is not a scan.

Seek same-day care if you have blood with fever, severe pain, or you are unable to pass urine at all.

Glass of water on a bathroom windowsill in soft morning light

Blood in urine comes in two forms. Visible — pink, red or cola-coloured urine you can see. And non-visible, found only on a dipstick or laboratory test, often during a check for something else. Both warrant assessment; visible blood is treated with more urgency.

Causes

What causes it

Cause Typically alongside
Urinary tract infection Burning, urgency, frequency, sometimes fever
Kidney or bladder stones Severe loin or groin pain, often coming in waves
Enlarged prostate Slow stream, hesitancy, getting up at night
Kidney inflammation Sometimes swelling, raised blood pressure, protein in urine
Bladder or kidney cancer Often painless visible blood as the only symptom
Vigorous exercise, or menstruation contaminating a sample Settles on repeat testing — still needs confirming

That last row on the cancer line is the reason for the rule at the top of this page. Painless visible blood, appearing once and stopping, is a classic presentation — and precisely the one people talk themselves out of reporting because it went away.

The Pathway

How it is properly investigated

The standard assessment has several parts, and imaging is only one of them. Urine tests look for infection and abnormal cells. Blood tests check kidney function. Flexible cystoscopy — a thin camera passed into the bladder — is what actually inspects the bladder lining, and it is the part of the pathway ultrasound cannot replace. Depending on findings, a CT urogram may follow.

Where does ultrasound fit? It examines the kidneys well: masses, stones, hydronephrosis, cysts. It shows the bladder wall and any obvious lesion, and it measures how well you empty. That is genuinely useful information. But a normal ultrasound does not exclude bladder cancer — small tumours are readily missed on any scan, which is why cystoscopy exists. We do not offer cystoscopy, urine testing or CT.

So the honest sequence is: GP first, urgently. If you also want the kidneys imaged quickly while that referral is being arranged, a scan is reasonable alongside — never instead.

At IUS London

What our scan covers

  1. 1
    PreparationArrive with a comfortably full bladder — it lets us assess the bladder wall and measure how well you empty afterwards. We confirm the detail when you book. 30 minutes.
  2. 2
    The scanBoth kidneys, the ureters where visible, and the bladder before and after you pass urine.
  3. 3
    What we look forKidney stones, masses and cysts, obstruction and swelling of the collecting system, bladder wall thickening or a visible lesion, and incomplete emptying. In men, the prostate size as far as it can be assessed.
  4. 4
    ResultsExplained on screen as we scan, written report usually within two hours — stating clearly that a normal scan does not remove the need for the GP pathway.
FAQs

Your questions answered

It happened once and stopped. Do I still need to see my GP?
Yes. A single episode of visible blood that resolves is still investigated, because painless bleeding that comes and goes is exactly how some bladder cancers present. Report it even if your urine is clear now.
Can an ultrasound rule out bladder cancer?
No. It can show larger lesions and assess the kidneys thoroughly, but small bladder tumours are easily missed on imaging. Flexible cystoscopy is what inspects the bladder lining, and it is not something we offer.
Could it just be a urine infection?
Often, yes — particularly with burning, urgency or frequency. Your GP can test and treat it. If visible blood persists after the infection has cleared, it still gets investigated.
What about blood found on a dipstick with no symptoms?
Non-visible blood is usually confirmed on repeat testing, then assessed with kidney function and blood pressure checks, and imaging or referral depending on your age and risk factors. It is less urgent than visible blood but not ignored.
Can beetroot or medication cause red urine?
Beetroot, some food colourings and certain medicines can discolour urine without any blood present. That is worth mentioning to your GP — but it is a conclusion for a urine test to reach, not an assumption to act on.
Do I need a full bladder for the scan?
Yes, comfortably full. It allows proper assessment of the bladder wall, and we then measure how much remains after you empty. We will confirm timings when you book.
Related

Where to go from here

KidneysFlank Pain and Kidney Stones

What causes loin pain and which test actually finds a stone.

Read the guide →AbdomenStomach Pain After Eating

What the timing suggests, and what a scan can find.

Read the guide →CompareUltrasound vs MRI vs CT

What each scan sees best, and which suits your question.

Read the guide →

Kidneys and bladder imaged quickly — alongside your GP

Both kidneys, the collecting system and the bladder before and after emptying, in a 30-minute appointment — explained on screen as we scan, report usually within two hours. Book the GP appointment too.

From £159
Urinary tract ultrasound scan

Urinary tract scan

5a Lucerne Mews
Kensington, London W8 4ED
3 mins from Notting Hill Gate

This article is general information about blood in the urine, not individual medical advice. Visible blood in urine should always be reported to your GP promptly, whatever a private scan shows — see NHS guidance on blood in urine and bladder cancer. A normal ultrasound does not exclude bladder cancer; we do not offer cystoscopy, urine tests, blood tests or CT.

Written and clinically reviewed by the HCPC-registered sonographers who perform this scan at IUS London — a CQC-registered diagnostic ultrasound clinic (Provider ID 1-2775844974). Your own findings are explained to you at the scan and set out in your report.

Author: Yianni Kiromitis, Senior Sonographer, HCPC RA38415 — over 20 years’ experience in NHS and private ultrasound
Medically reviewed: 9 August 2026