The hallmark sign of urethral stricture is a weak urinary stream. Other symptoms include:

- Splaying of the urinary stream

- Urinary frequency

- Urinary urgency

- Straining to urinate

- Pain during urination

- Urinary tract infection

- Prostatitis

- Inability to completely empty the bladder.

Some patients with severe urethral strictures are completely unable to urinate. This is referred to as acute urinary retention, and is a medical emergency. Hydronephrosis and renal failure may also occur.

Urethral strictures most commonly result from injury, urethral instrumentation, infection, non-infectious inflammatory conditions of the urethra, and after prior hypospadias surgery. Less common causes include congenital urethral strictures and those resulting from malignancy.

Urethral strictures after blunt trauma can generally be divided into two sub-types;

- Pelvic fracture-associated urethral disruption occurs in as many as 15% of severe pelvic fractures. These injuries are typically managed with suprapubic tube placement and delayed urethroplasty 3 months later. Early endoscopic realignment may be used in select cases instead of a suprapubic tube, but these patients should be monitored closely as vast majority of them will require urethroplasty.

- Blunt trauma to the perineum compresses the bulbar urethra against the pubic symphysis, causing a "crush" injury. These patients are typically treated with suprapubic tube and delayed urethroplasty.

Other specific causes of urethral stricture include:

- Instrumentation (e.g., after transurethral resection of prostate, transurethral resection of bladder tumor, or endoscopic kidney surgery)

- Infection (typically with Gonorrhea)

- Lichen sclerosus

- Surgery to address hypospadias can result in a delayed urethral stricture, even decades after the original surgery.

A prostatic stent is a stent used to keep open the male urethra and allow the passing of urine in cases of prostatic obstruction and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Prostatic obstruction is a common condition with a variety of causes. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common cause, but obstruction may also occur acutely after treatment for BPH such as transurethral needle ablation of the prostate (TUNA), transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT), prostate cancer or after radiation therapy.

Bulbar urethral necrosis is a problem that can occur after a pelvic fracture associated urethral distraction defect (PFUDD).

Retrograde ejaculation occurs when semen, which would, in most cases, be ejaculated via the urethra, is redirected to the urinary bladder. Normally, the sphincter of the bladder contracts before ejaculation forcing the semen to exit via the urethra, the path of least resistance. When the bladder sphincter does not function properly, retrograde ejaculation may occur. It can also be induced deliberately by a male as a primitive form of male birth control (known as "coitus saxonicus") or as part of certain alternative medicine practices.

Urethral syndrome is characterised by a set of symptoms typically associated with lower urinary tract infection, such as painful urination (dysuria) and frequency. It is a diagnosis of exclusion, made when there is no significant presence of bacteriuria with a conventional pathogen ruling out urinary tract infection, and when cystoscopy shows no inflammation of the bladder, ruling out interstitial cystitis and cystitis cystica. In women, vaginitus should also be ruled out.

Urethral hypermobility is a condition of the female urethra. It describes the instability of the urethra and can be a cause of urinary incontinence. It is sometimes treated with urethral bulking injections.

Signs indicative of urethral syndrome include a history of chronic recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI) in the absence of both conventional bacterial growth and pyuria (more than 5 white blood cells per High Power Field). Episodes are often related to sexual intercourse.

Some physicians believe that urethral syndrome may be due to a low grade infection of the Skene's glands on the sides and bottom of the urethra. The Skene's glands are embryologically related to the prostate gland in the male, thus urethral syndrome may share a comparable cause with chronic prostatitis.

Possible non-infective causes include hormonal imbalance, trauma, allergies, anatomical features such as diverticula, and post-surgical scarring and adhesions.

Rupture of the urethra is an uncommon result of penile injury, incorrect catheter insertion, straddle injury, or pelvic girdle fracture. The urethra, the muscular tube that allows for urination, may be damaged by trauma. When urethral rupture occurs, urine may extravasate (escape) into the surrounding tissues. The membranous urethra is most likely to be injured in pelvic fractures, allowing urine and blood to enter the deep perineal space and subperitoneal spaces via the genital hiatus. The spongy urethra is most likely to be injured with a catheter or in a straddle injury, allowing urine and blood to escape into the scrotum, the penis, and the superficial peritoneal space. Urethral rupture may be diagnosed with a cystourethrogram. Due to the tight adherence of the fascia lata, urine from a urethral rupture cannot spread into the thighs.

Urethral diverticula are often asymptomatic and symptoms that are present tend to be nonspecific. They can co-occur with cancer, in approximately 6-9% of cases, most commonly adenocarcinoma, but also including squamous cell carcinoma and transitional cell carcinoma. Approximately 10% of cases co-occur with kidney stones.

There are 2 types of urethral diverticulums. Congenital and acquired. In infancy usually the urethral diverticulum is congenital but in rare instances acquired urethral diverticulum can be seen in infancy specially following traumatic catheterization.

Common symptoms of urethral diverticulum include incontinence, urinary frequency and urgency, pain during sex, and pain during urination. Other symptoms include pain localized to the urethra or pelvis and frequent urinary tract infection.

When urethral diverticulum becomes severe, a painful mass can sometimes be felt inside the introitus of the vagina, which can discharge pus. If the mass is hard or bleeds, complications like cancer or kidney stones may be present.

Patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) and PFUDD or patients with PFUDD and traumatic disruption of the dorsal arteries are susceptible to bulbar urethral necrosis. These patients need tubularized substitution urethroplasty, which is replacement of the bulbar urethra with a various number of tubularized flaps ranging from scrotal skin to sigmoid colon (and others).

Post-void dribbling or post-micturition dribbling is the where urine remaining in the urethra after voiding the bladder slowly leaks out after urination. A common and usually benign complaint, it may be a symptom of urethral diverticulum, prostatitis and other medical problems.

Men who experience dribbling, especially after prostate cancer surgery, will choose to wear incontinence pads to stay dry. Also known as guards for men, these incontinence pads conform to the male body. Some of the most popular male guards are from Tena, Depends, and Prevail. Simple ways to prevent dribbling include: strengthening pelvic muscles with Kegel exercises, changing position while urinating, or pressing on the perineum to evacuate the remaining urine from the urethra. Sitting down while urinating is also shown to alleviate complaints: a meta-analysis on the effects of voiding position in elderly males with benign prostate hyperplasia found an improvement of urologic parameters in this position, while in healthy males no such influence was found.

It is the loss of small amounts of urine associated with coughing, laughing, sneezing, exercising or other movements that increase intra-abdominal pressure and thus increase pressure on the bladder. The urethra is supported by fascia of the pelvic floor. If this support is insufficient, the urethra can move downward at times of increased abdominal pressure, allowing urine to pass.

Most lab results such as urine analysis, cystometry and postvoid residual volume are normal.

Some sources distinguish between urethral hypermobility and intrinsic sphincter deficiency. The latter is more rare, and requires different surgical approaches.

Symptoms depend on whether the cervical canal is partially or completely obstructed and on the patient's menopausal status. Pre-menopausal patients may have a build up of blood inside the uterus which may cause infection, sporadic bleeding, or pelvic pain. Patients also have an increased risk of infertility and endometriosis.

There are two types of prostatic stent: temporary and permanent.

Although a permanent prostatic stent is not a medical treatment, it falls under the classification of a surgical procedure. Placement of a permanent prostatic stent is carried out as an outpatient treatment under local, topical or spinal anesthesia and usually takes about 15–30 minutes.

A temporary prostatic stent can be inserted in a similar manner to a Foley catheter, requiring only topical anesthesia.

An injury to the urethra leaving Buck's fascia intact results in a collection of urine (extravasation) limited to the penis, deep to Buck's fascia. However, if the injury to the bulb of the penis results in urethral injury accompanying a tear of the Buck's fascia, then extravasated blood and urine would accumulate in the superficial perineal space, passing into the penis (outer to Buck's fascia) as well as the scrotum and lower anterior abdominal wall. Extravasation of urine involving a compromised Buck's fascia can be appreciated clinically by blood collecting in the superficial pouch, resulting in a 'butterfly'-shaped region around the penis.

Extravasation of urine due to blunt renal trauma or ureteral obstruction can lead to the formation of an urinoma.

Paraphimosis is usually caused by medical professionals or parents who handle the foreskin improperly: The foreskin may be retracted during penile examination, penile cleaning, urethral catheterization, or cystoscopy; if the foreskin is left retracted for a long period, some of the foreskin tissue may become edematous (swollen with fluid), which makes subsequent reduction of the foreskin difficult.

Urethral meatal stenosis or urethral stricture is a narrowing (stenosis) of the opening of the urethra at the external meatus , thus constricting the opening through which urine leaves the body from the urinary bladder.

Stress incontinence, also known as stress urinary incontinence (SUI) or effort incontinence is a form of urinary incontinence. It is due to insufficient strength of the closure of the bladder.

Histopathologically, several characteristics are frequently visible in urethral diverticula. These include nephrogenic adenoma, chronic inflammation associated with fibrosis around the glands, small or absent epithelium, chronic cystitis, cystitis cystica, cystitis glandularis, squamous metaplasia, and adenomatous metaplasia.

Approximately 1/3 of diverticula are compound or multiple, and some can extend to surround the urethra.

A rectovaginal fistula is a medical condition where there is a fistula or abnormal connection between the rectum and the vagina.

Rectovaginal fistula may be extremely debilitating. If the opening between the rectum and vagina is wide it will allow both flatulence and feces to escape through the vagina, leading to fecal incontinence. There is an association with recurrent urinary and vaginal infections. The fistula may also connect the rectum and urethra, which is called recto-urethral fistula. Either conditions can lead to labial fusion. This type of fistula can cause pediatricians to misdiagnose imperforate anus. The severity of the symptoms will depend on the size of fistula. Most often, it appears after about one week or so after delivery.

Urinary incontinence (UI), also known as involuntary urination, is any leakage of urine. It is a common and distressing problem, which may have a large impact on quality of life. It is twice as common in women as in men. Pelvic surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause are major risk factors. It has been identified as an important issue in geriatric health care. Urinary incontinence is often a result of an underlying medical condition but is under-reported to medical practitioners. Enuresis is often used to refer to urinary incontinence primarily in children, such as nocturnal enuresis (bed wetting).

There are four main types of incontinence:

- Urge incontinence due to an overactive bladder

- Stress incontinence due to poor closure of the bladder

- Overflow incontinence due to either poor bladder contraction or blockage of the urethra

- Functional incontinence due to medications or health problems making it difficult to reach the bathroom

Treatments include surgery, pelvic floor muscle training, bladder training, and electrical stimulation. The benefit of medications is small and long term safety is unclear.

Paraphimosis is an uncommon medical condition in which the foreskin of a penis becomes trapped behind the glans penis, and cannot be "reduced" (pulled back to its normal flaccid position covering the glans). If this condition persists for several hours or there is any sign of a lack of blood flow, paraphimosis should be treated as a medical emergency, as it can result in gangrene.

Cervical stenosis may impact natural fertility by impeding the passage of semen into the uterus. In the context of infertility treatments, cervical stenosis may complicate or prevent the use of intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures.