Urine Trouble

Keep An Eye On Your General Health With This Wee Guide To Reading Your Pee.

- Donna Fleming

Your urine can tell you a lot about your health and any issues you have with passing it may be a sign that all is not well. Here’s how your urine can show what’s going on in your body.

CHECK THE COLOUR

Most of us don’t pay close attention to the colour of our urine, but it is worth having a quick look. Normal, healthy urine is a pale yellow colour. If it’s clear, you’re drinking lots of fluids, which is good. But if it’s always clear, you may be overdoing the hydration. If it’s dark yellow, you need to drink more fluids. If it turns amber, you’re likely dehydrated.

Urine may turn orange due to foods you’ve eaten, such as carrots or pumpkin, medication or vitamin C supplements. It can also be a sign of liver problems.

Urine that’s dark – almost brown – could mean there’s something wrong with your liver or kidneys and you may need medical attention.

Pink or red urine should always be checked out – while it can be due to foods or medications, it may also be a sign of blood in the urine.

SUSS THE SMELL

Normal urine has a slight smell, which is nothing to worry about. The odour can also be affected by what you’ve eaten, especially if you’ve consumed asparagus.

If you notice a change in the smell, you might want to have it checked out. A strong ammonia-like smell can be a sign of dehydration, while sweet-smelling urine may be due to a urinary tract infection. Fruity-smelling urine may be the result of type 2 diabetes, while a foul odour could indicate a sexually transmitted infection.

IS IT CLOUDY?

Urine that appears cloudy may be due to:

Dehydration

Urinary tract infection

Sexually transmitted infection