The short answer
Blood in the urine, visible or only found on a test, needs a doctor to find the cause. Frequency, urgency and weak flow are often from an enlarged prostate, but can look like prostate cancer, so tell your doctor.
Blood in the urine is most often the first sign of bladder cancer. It can also come from infection, stones and other causes, so get it checked.
Blood counts whether you can see it or only a lab can find it.
Frequency, urgency, getting up at night and a weak stream are common with an enlarged prostate (BPH). NCI says prostate cancer can cause similar symptoms, so tell your doctor.
BPH is not cancer. NIDDK says it affects about 5% to 6% of men aged 40 to 64 and 29% to 33% of men aged 65 and older.
On this page
Choose how you want to read this
The whole article, with every detail and caution.
This page is for people with changes in how they pee, or blood in their urine, who wonder whether it could be bladder or prostate cancer. It covers when to get help, what these changes can mean, and what testing involves.
When to get help sooner
- Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department if you suddenly cannot pass any urine at all. Do not drive yourself.
- Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department if there is blood in your urine with clots, or substantial bleeding. Do not drive yourself.
- Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department if you have a fever or shivering with confusion, a fast heartbeat, shortness of breath or clammy skin. These can be signs of sepsis (CDC). Do not drive yourself.
- Call 911 or go to an emergency department if new back or hip pain comes with leg weakness, numbness, or losing control of your bladder or bowel. Do not drive yourself.
- Call your care team right away, day or night, if you are getting chemotherapy or have a stem-cell transplant, CAR T or low white cells and you have burning when you urinate, chills, a fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher, or any other sign of infection. A normal temperature is not a reason to wait.
- Call your doctor right away if you have painful, frequent or urgent urination with fever and chills, or severe pain in the lower abdomen. NIDDK lists these as warning signs. If you cannot reach anyone, go to an emergency department.
- Call your care team the same day if you see any blood in your urine, even once, even if it clears.
Blood you can see should never be watched for two weeks.
Two questions hiding inside one symptom
"Urinary changes" covers two different things. One is a change in the stream and the pattern: going more often, getting up at night, urgency, a weak or stop-start flow, trouble starting. The other is a change in the urine itself: blood in it. Separating them can help you describe what is happening to your doctor.
Blood in the urine needs a cause found
ACS says blood in the urine is most often the first sign of bladder cancer. It can look orange, pink, or dark red. Sometimes it shows up only on a urine test.
Having blood in your urine does not mean you have bladder cancer. ACS says infections, stones and benign tumors are more common causes. MedlinePlus also lists bleeding disorders, blood thinners, certain medicines and some foods. The point is that blood needs a proper look, whether you can see it or not. MedlinePlus says: never ignore blood you see in your urine.
If a test finds blood you cannot see, ask what the plan is and by when. MedlinePlus says tests to find the cause can include urine tests, ultrasound, CT scans, blood tests and cystoscopy (a look inside the bladder with a thin camera).
What the flow symptoms can mean
Frequency, urgency, getting up at night, hesitancy, and a weak stream are common in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), an enlarged prostate that is not cancer. NIDDK says it affects 5% to 6% of men aged 40 to 64, and 29% to 33% of men aged 65 and older.
NCI says BPH and prostate cancer can cause similar symptoms. You cannot tell them apart on your own. Tell your doctor about these changes.
NCI also says early prostate cancer often causes no signs at all. "My stream is fine" is not reassurance about the prostate. Talk with your doctor about whether PSA (prostate-specific antigen) testing makes sense for you. NCI says there is no standard or routine screening test, so the decision is one to make with your doctor.
What a workup can involve
Your team may order a urine test, blood tests, ultrasound or a CT scan, and a cystoscopy. For the prostate, NCI lists a digital rectal exam, a PSA blood test, imaging and biopsy. Your team chooses the tests that fit your symptoms.
How long is too long to wait
- Any visible blood: contact your doctor the same day, and use the word "blood." Do not wait to see whether it returns.
- Blood found on a routine test: ask what the plan is.
- Flow symptoms of any kind: tell your doctor. NCI says to see your doctor about trouble starting, frequent urination, trouble emptying the bladder, or a weak or stop-and-go flow.
- Flow symptoms getting worse, with pain, fever, weight loss, or bone pain: call your care team right away.
- Unable to pass urine at all: call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
If you are told to repeat a urine test, ask for the date and put it in your own calendar.
Sources
Common questions
The blood was there once and then my urine looked normal. Do I still need to be seen?
Yes. MedlinePlus says never ignore blood you see in your urine. Call your care team the same day, even if it cleared.
My urine test showed blood but I feel completely fine. What happens now?
Blood found only on a test is still hematuria. MedlinePlus says tests to find the cause can include urine tests, ultrasound, CT scans, blood tests and cystoscopy. Ask your team which tests are planned and when.
Does an enlarged prostate turn into prostate cancer?
NIDDK says BPH growth is not caused by cancer. Both can be present at once, and NCI says their symptoms can be similar, so tell your doctor about urinary changes.
Is a weak stream a sign of prostate cancer?
It can be. NCI lists a weak or stop-and-go flow as a possible sign, and BPH causes the same symptom. A normal stream is not reassurance, because NCI says early prostate cancer often causes no signs. See your doctor.
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Written by: Cancer ExplainedSources last checked: 2026-07-30 what this meansLast updated: 2026-09-29Next planned review: 2027-08-03
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Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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