ABSTRACT
Many countries have adopted guidelines for the investigation of haematuria, such as the American Urological Association and the European Association of Urologists guidelines. In pregnancy, the urine is checked with a ‘dipstick’ at each visit. It is unusual to find frank haematuria without other obvious symptoms. In most cases, the cause of the haematuria is infection. In non-pregnant women, haematuria may occur as a result of contamination from menstrual blood flow. In postmenopausal women, the complaint may be of blood in the urine when in actual fact it is due to postmenopausal bleeding for whatever cause. Bladder carcinoma may also present with haematuria, and this diagnosis should be considered in women over the age of 40. In gynaecology, the investigations may be limited to sending a midstream specimen of urine for microbiological investigation, an ultrasound scan of the renal tract, and possible cystoscopy.
