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Blood in the urine (hematuria): what it looks like, when to get care, and the tests
For anyone who sees pink, red or brown urine, or was told a urine test found blood. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, part of the NIH) says hematuria means there is blood in your urine, that in most cases blood you can see causes no pain, and that it only takes a small amount of blood to change the color. This page passes on, by name, what NIDDK says: the two types, the reasons people may have blood in the urine and who is more likely to have it, the urine test and the other tests, and how it is treated. It puts first our own rule for when to get care, builds the words to say to a provider, and prints a card for the visit.
Right now
- You cannot pee at all, or the blood came after a hard blow, a fall or a crash: go to the emergency room now (ours).
- The person is confused, very hard to wake, fainting, or seems very sick: call 911 (ours). See also our page on sepsis.
- Blood with fever, chills, or pain in your back or side: call a provider today (ours), and see our page on bladder infection.
- Any blood you can see, even if it stopped and does not hurt: call a provider soon (ours). NIDDK’s page on the enlarged prostate says to tell a health care professional right away if you have blood in your urine.
More help
- Related: Bladder infection (UTI) in adults · Kidney stones · Enlarged prostate (BPH) · Kidney disease · Sickle cell disease · When it is cancer · Kidneys, bladder and urine: find the right page.
- Care and costs: When you need a doctor and can’t pay · My medicines list · Get ready for your appointment · Symptom diary.
- In a crisis: Help right now (988, 911). All our free tools.
Kidneys, bladder or urine, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for bladder infections, kidney stones, blood in the urine, bladder leaks, the prostate, kidney disease and bedwetting, on one list.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor or nurse has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 15, 2026 on NIDDK’s Hematuria (Blood in the Urine) page (NIH, last reviewed October 2022), with one line from its Enlarged Prostate (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia) page. Ours: calling a provider soon about any blood you can see, even if it stops and does not hurt; calling the same day for fever, chills, or back or side pain; going to the emergency room now if you cannot pee at all, or after a hard blow, a fall or a crash; calling 911 when the person is confused, very hard to wake, fainting or seems very sick; calling or texting 988 for thoughts of suicide; not stopping a blood thinner or any prescribed medicine on your own; that only a provider and tests can say what the cause is; asking whether and when to test again; asking about the cost; and the order of the steps. What we left out: any single medicine, NIDDK’s figure on how often urologists find hematuria, foods or other things that can color urine (NIDDK’s page does not cover them), and clinical pages for providers. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.