Phrases › Describing Symptoms › Ho difficoltà a urinare.

Ho difficoltà a urinare.

I have difficulty urinating.

Pronunciation

u-ri-NA-re — four syllables, stress on third. 'Difficoltà' — dif-fi-kol-TA.

When to use it

Report urinary difficulties to a doctor. In men over 50, often indicates prostate problems. In women, can signal UTI or pelvic floor issues.

What it means

'Difficoltà a urinare' = difficulty urinating. 'Disuria' = painful urination (medical term). 'Minzione' = urination (formal medical). 'Flusso debole' = weak flow. 'Minzione frequente' = frequent urination. In men: often prostate ('prostata'). In women: pelvic floor dysfunction or UTI. Urge incontinence ('incontinenza da urgenza') is also reported with this phrase.

Variations

Ho bruciore quando urino.

I have a burning sensation when I urinate.

Dysuria — typical of UTI ('cistite' = cystitis in Italian)

Urino spesso ma poco alla volta.

I urinate often but little at a time.

Frequency with small volumes — typical of cystitis or overactive bladder

Di notte mi alzo tre o quattro volte per urinare.

I get up three or four times at night to urinate.

Nocturia — in men, often prostate-related; also can indicate diabetes or heart failure

Mini Dialogue

— Ho difficoltà a urinare. Il flusso è debole e mi sveglio di notte. — Quanti anni ha? — Sessantatré. — Quante volte di notte? — Tre, quattro volte. — Questi sono sintomi tipici della prostata. Le prescrivo un'ecografia prostatica e un PSA. — Dovrei preoccuparmi del tumore? — Valutiamo prima. Spesso è ipertrofia benigna, non tumore.

— I have difficulty urinating. The flow is weak and I wake up at night. — How old are you? — Sixty-three. — How many times at night? — Three, four times. — These are typical prostate symptoms. I will prescribe a prostate ultrasound and PSA test. — Should I be worried about cancer? — Let us evaluate first. Often it is benign enlargement, not cancer.

Cultural Note

Benign prostatic hyperplasia ('ipertrofia prostatica benigna', BPH) affects more than 50% of Italian men over 60. PSA testing ('antigene prostatico specifico') is widely used in Italy but controversial for routine screening — Italian urological guidelines recommend it only for symptomatic patients or those with family history. Italian men are historically reluctant to discuss urinary and prostate symptoms — awareness campaigns by the Italian Association of Urology ('SIU') aim to encourage earlier medical consultation.

← Previous

Ho notato un cambiamento nelle abitudini intestinali.

Ho tossito del sangue.

← All phrases: Describing Symptoms