UroSalud
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Patient Education

Understanding your condition is the first step toward the right care.

Urological symptoms are often dismissed or misunderstood. This page is designed to help you recognize what you're experiencing, understand what it might mean, and know when it's time to see a specialist.

Schedule when ready

Prostate Conditions

BPH, prostatitis, and prostate cancer

The prostate is a small gland with an outsized impact on urinary and sexual health. Prostate conditions range from benign enlargement — which affects most men over 50 — to prostatitis and prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men.

Common symptoms

  • Frequent urination, especially at night
  • Weak or interrupted urine stream
  • Difficulty starting urination
  • Feeling that the bladder hasn't fully emptied
  • Elevated PSA on a blood test
  • Pelvic pain or discomfort

When to call

If you have an elevated PSA, a family history of prostate cancer, or urinary symptoms that have changed or worsened — don't wait. Early evaluation is far more effective than delayed care.

Seek care promptly

Kidney Stones

Nephrolithiasis and urinary obstruction

Kidney stones form when minerals crystallize in the urinary tract. They range from a single painful episode to a chronic, recurrent condition. Understanding why your stones form is as important as treating the current one.

Common symptoms

  • Severe, sudden pain in the flank, back, or lower abdomen
  • Pain that radiates to the groin
  • Blood in the urine (pink, red, or brown)
  • Nausea or vomiting with pain
  • Frequent urge to urinate with little output
  • History of prior kidney stones

When to call

Severe flank pain with fever or chills is a urological emergency — seek care immediately. For stones without fever, schedule an evaluation to confirm the stone has passed and to discuss prevention.

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Bladder Conditions

Overactive bladder, incontinence, and bladder cancer

Bladder conditions affect quality of life profoundly — from urgency and leakage to more serious concerns like blood in the urine. Many patients live with these symptoms for years before seeking evaluation. They shouldn't have to.

Common symptoms

  • Sudden, strong urge to urinate that's hard to control
  • Leaking urine with urgency, activity, or laughing
  • Urinating more than 8 times in 24 hours
  • Blood in the urine — even once, even painless
  • Burning or pain during urination
  • Recurrent urinary tract infections

When to call

Blood in the urine — hematuria — always warrants evaluation, regardless of whether it's painful. It is the most common early sign of bladder cancer and should never be attributed to a UTI without investigation.

Schedule soon

Urologic Cancers

Prostate, bladder, kidney, and testicular cancer

Urologic cancers — of the prostate, bladder, kidney, and testes — are among the most common cancers in men and women. Many are highly treatable when caught early. The key is knowing the signs and acting on them.

Common symptoms

  • Blood in the urine (any amount, any color)
  • Elevated PSA or abnormal prostate exam
  • A mass or lump in the kidney area found on imaging
  • A painless lump or swelling in the testicle
  • Unexplained weight loss or fatigue with urinary symptoms
  • Bone pain in the context of a prostate cancer history

When to call

Any of these symptoms deserves prompt evaluation — not watchful waiting. A urologic oncology consultation does not mean you have cancer. It means you're being thorough.

Schedule when ready

Men's Health

Testosterone, erectile function, and male fertility

Low testosterone, erectile dysfunction, and male infertility are medical conditions — not inevitable parts of aging, and not something to manage in silence. They have real causes and real solutions.

Common symptoms

  • Persistent fatigue, low energy, or mood changes
  • Decreased libido or sexual interest
  • Difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection
  • Concerns about fertility or sperm quality
  • Loss of muscle mass or increased body fat
  • Low testosterone confirmed on a blood test

When to call

If these symptoms are affecting your quality of life, a frank conversation with a urologist is the right first step. There is no reason to manage these conditions alone.

Not sure which condition applies to you?

That's exactly what a consultation is for. Dr. Castillo Ortiz will take the time to understand your full picture before recommending any path forward.