Bladder cancer is a rare type of cancer that was once thought to affect men more than women.
However, bladder cancer diagnosed in women is usually at a later stage of the disease, and is more aggressive.
Bladder cancer occurs when some cells in the lining of the bladder mutate and begin to multiply uncontrollably, forming a tumor.
The disease can spread to nearby lymph nodes or reach the bones, lungs, or other organs in advanced stages of the disease.
Symptoms of bladder cancer in women usually appear as blood in the urine that may be visible to the naked eye or seen during a microscopic examination of a urine sample.
Other symptoms include loss of appetite, fatigue, pain when urinating, frequent need to urinate, difficulty urinating, and recurring bacterial infections of the bladder.
Common Signs of Bladder Cancer in Women
Symptoms of bladder cancer in women include:
- Blood on urination: This blood may be visible, or it may only be detected by microscopic examination of a urine sample.
- Changes in urination habits: such as needing to urinate frequently or difficulty urinating, and the rate of urine flow may change.
- Pain: A burning or painful feeling when urinating, or pain in the groin or lower back.
Other possible symptoms of bladder cancer include:
- Fatigue.
- Loss of appetite.
- Weight loss.
- Swollen feet.
- Bone pain. (UF Health, 2023)
Early Indicators of Bladder Cancer in Females
Early symptoms of bladder cancer in women include:
Blood in the urine: whether it appears in the form of thin lines, or the urine is orange or dark in color, and sometimes the blood does not appear except with a microscopic examination.
Pain and burning when urinating: One of the distinctive signs of bladder cancer is feeling pain and burning during urination.
Frequent urination: Feeling the need to urinate frequently.
Difficulty urinating: Where it is difficult to start the urination process and the level of urine flow changes from normal.
Urgent desire to urinate: Another distinctive sign of bladder cancer.
Night urination: Waking up several times to urinate, which causes a feeling of fatigue and exhaustion.
Other symptoms: Lower abdominal pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, recurrent bacterial bladder infections, weakness, fatigue, and swelling of the feet. (NHS, 2021)
Read Also: Symptoms of Stage 1 Kidney Cancer
How Bladder Cancer Symptoms Differ in Women
Although the basic symptoms of bladder cancer in women and men are largely similar.
Which include blood in the urine, pain and burning when urinating, and the need to urinate frequently, there are some differences between males and females that can be described as follows:
Interpretation of blood in the urine: Blood in the urine in females can be attributed to menstrual remnants or a urinary tract infection.
Pelvic pain: in women can also be attributed to the female reproductive system, which is located near the bladder.
Therefore, the sign of blood in the urine should never be ignored and a urine culture should be performed to ensure that there is no microbial infection, and an ultrasound should be performed on the abdomen and pelvis. (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 2022)
References
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. (2022). Retrieved from Interpreting Bladder Cancer Symptoms in Men vs. Women: What You Should Know: https://www.mskcc.org/news/interpreting-bladder-cancer-symptoms-men-vs-women-what-you-should-know
NHS. (2021). Retrieved from Symptoms – Bladder cancer: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bladder-cancer/symptoms/
UF Health. (2023). Retrieved from Three Warning Signs of Bladder Cancer : https://ufhealth.org/stories/2023/three-warning-signs-of-bladder-cancer
