Burning when you pee: UTI or STI?

It stings when you pee, and you're trying to work out whether it's cystitis or something you caught. There may have been a new partner recently, or there may not.

Burning or stinging when you pee usually comes down to one of two things: a urinary tract infection, or an STI such as chlamydia or gonorrhoea. Your other symptoms help narrow it down, such as discharge, how suddenly it started and whether you've had a new partner. A urine test is what tells you for certain.

If you'd rather just get tested, you can walk in seven days a week at 117A Harley Street. Our STI screening packages cover the infections most likely to be responsible, and a FAST Screen returns results in 6 hours.

Is it a UTI or an STI? The quick way to tell

No single symptom proves which one you have, but a few clues lean one way or the other.

Common features that help separate a urinary tract infection from a sexually transmitted infection.

Each clue is a hint rather than an answer. If you've had new or unprotected sex and it burns when you pee, testing for both is safer than guessing. For a comprehensive check from a single visit, our men's STI screening packages (from £250 for Bronze or £325 for Silver) and women's STI screening packages (from £250 for Bronze or £375 for Silver) include a doctor consultation and treatment if required.

Which STIs cause burning when you pee?

Chlamydia and gonorrhoea are the two STIs most likely to cause burning or stinging, and both are picked up with a urine sample or swab. A chlamydia test and a gonorrhoea test cost £104 each, with urine and swab results within 3 working days. Trichomoniasis, Mycoplasma genitalium and non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) can cause the same symptom. They're less well known, which is one reason a single test sometimes isn't enough.

Why burning can continue after a negative chlamydia test

If chlamydia and gonorrhoea come back negative but the burning hasn't settled, the cause may be Mycoplasma genitalium, Ureaplasma or another organism causing NGU. The NGU and NSU urine test checks for chlamydia, mycoplasma, ureaplasma and trichomonas from one urine sample. At £125, with results in 3 days, it's a quicker next step than repeating single tests one at a time. Our Silver screening package, £325 for men and £375 for women, adds Mycoplasma genitalium, Ureaplasma, Gardnerella and herpes I & II to the core STI panel.

Burning when you pee in men and women

Men tend to notice burning quickly, and it may come with discharge from the penis. In women it can be harder to place, because it overlaps with a straightforward UTI, and vaginal discharge is a less obvious clue than penile discharge. The same infections are tested for in both, and the clinician will advise whether a urine sample or a swab suits you best.

Which test should you book?

If you have one clear concern, such as recent unprotected sex, a single chlamydia or gonorrhoea test may be enough. If your risk is broader, or you'd like a wider check, our STI screening packages cover the common infections in one visit.

If you need an answer quickly, book the same-day STI test with results in 6 hours. FAST Screen Simple is £350 and covers HIV, syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea, and FAST Screen Complex is £450 and adds hepatitis B and C. If only chlamydia and gonorrhoea need checking, the FAST urine test for both is £124, also with results in 6 hours.

When it could be a UTI instead

If the burning comes with urgency and frequency, but no discharge and no recent new sexual contact, a UTI is more likely than an STI. At your first visit here we do a urine dipstick. If anything shows, the sample can be sent for a full STI screen or a urine culture. If a UTI looks more likely, a private GP consultation at Medical Express Clinic, £150, can assess and treat it.

See a doctor the same day, or go to A&E, if you have a fever, pain in your side or back (loin pain) or visible blood in your urine. The same goes if you're vomiting and can't keep fluids down. These can be signs the infection has reached your kidneys and needs prompt treatment.

How testing works at our Harley Street clinic

For a urine test such as chlamydia or gonorrhoea, try not to pee for about 2 hours before your appointment, so there's enough sample to test accurately. A clinician will talk you through which sample or swab you need for the infections you want checked.

Results are given confidentially. Blood tests come back in about 24 hours, and urine and swab results within 3 working days. The NGU/NSU panel takes 3 days, and the FAST Screen returns everything in 6 hours. You can walk in seven days a week at 117A Harley Street, and the visit is confidential, as with all our private STI testing in London.

Book a same-day STI test at 117a Harley Street, with results from 6 hours.

References

• NHS: Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• NHS: Chlamydia
• NHS: Gonorrhoea
• NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries: Urinary tract infection (lower) - women
• BASHH: UK national guideline for the management of non-gonococcal urethritis
• UKHSA: Sexually transmitted infections surveillance data