Your bladder is a part of your urinary tract, the system that expels waste liquid from your body. The bladder is a holding tank for processed fluid from your kidneys. When the kidneys have extracted needed nutrients, the waste product is sent to the bladder. When this fills up, it makes you feel the sensations that indicate you need to urinate. An infection of your bladder also is known as a urinary tract infection or UTI.
Frequent Urination
An infection in your bladder may make it inflamed. This means it may hold less urine or that the inflammation may send the signals to your brain that you need to urinate more frequently than normal. If you bladder cannot hold the normal amount of urine, it will send you to the bathroom more often than usual. This also can result in an urgency to make it to the toilet. These and most symptoms of a bladder infection can occur in both men and women, the Mayo Clinic reports.
Pain
A bladder infection, as with many infections, can cause you to experience pain. In this case, it may occur as a tingling or burning sensation while you are urinating or following urination. This is called dysuria.
Urine Problems
If you notice that your urine contains blood---a condition called hematuria---it may be a sign that you have a bladder infection. This can occur for other reasons that include illnesses such as kidney stones and side effects from some medications. No matter the cause, it is a sign that you should see your physician. Your urine also may appear to be cloudy and may produce an unusual, strong smell when you urinate.
Fever
Most forms of infection trigger an imbalance in your body that can result in a fever. This means the temperature of your body---which most often is approximately 98.6F---goes up. Along with a fever, you may experience chills and sweating as well as a feeling of being generally ill.
