Urine Dipstick No Longer Recommended: Key UTI Updates for Men

New French guidelines on urinary tract infections (UTIs) in men, presented in 2025 and expected to be published in 2026, bring important changes that also matter for men dealing with urinary symptoms and incontinence. A key shift is that urine dipstick tests are no longer recommended for diagnosing UTIs in men. Instead, doctors should rely on symptoms and urine cultures taken before antibiotics are started.

Male cystitis (bladder infection) is now formally recognized as a real condition, with symptoms such as burning during urination, urgency, frequent urination, night-time urination, and lower abdominal pain—symptoms many men with incontinence already recognize. If there is no fever, cystitis can be diagnosed and treated, often with a 7-day course of antibiotics. Fosfomycin is given as three doses (days 1, 3, and 5).

The guidelines also stress avoiding unnecessary antibiotics, especially in cases like acute urinary retention without signs of infection. In older men, bacteria in the urine without clear bladder symptoms may not need treatment.

Antibiotic resistance remains a concern, particularly with fluoroquinolones. Treatment choices and duration now depend more clearly on the type and severity of infection (cystitis, prostatitis, or kidney infection). Finally, men with warning signs—such as repeated infections, blood in urine, high residual urine, or prostate problems—should be referred to a urologist for further evaluation.

Raffier, N. (2025, December 18). New guidelines end urine dipstick use in men. Medscape News Europe. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/new-guidelines-end-urine-dipstick-use-men-2025a1000zku