Peetalk
What can your pee tell you about your health and habits? A lot, it turns out according to Mark Ellerkmann, M.D ,director for the Center of Urogynecology at the Weinberg Center for Women’s Health and Medicine in Baltimore, for some of the specific health and lifestyle issues your urine’s odor, color, and frequency can indicate. So listen to what your pee is telling you.
1. You’re Pregnant.
The reason you have to pee on a stick after your first missed period is that shortly after conception the fetus begins to secrete the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin or HCG, which is what is detected by home pregnancy tests, Dr. Ellerkmann says. Some women also notice a strong, pungent odor early on, even before they’re aware they’re pregnant.
2. You have an injury or a medical condition.
Medically speaking, if there are red blood cells in your urine-known as “hematuria”-this could indicate a variety of conditions, according to Dr. Ellkermann, from kidney stones to an impact injury (in rare cases this can be caused by strenuous exercise like running long distances). A sweet odor can be indicative of diabetes, since your body isn’t properly processing glucose. If you’re over 35 and have erratic or heavy periods and an increase in urine frequency, you may have fibroids, benign uterine tumors that can press on your bladder.
3. You’re a big fan of blackberries.
Are you Crazy for carrots or Bananas for beets? Certain fruits and vegetables that have dark pigments (like the anthocyanin) can tint urine either pink, in the case of red or purple produce, or orange if you’re eating foods rich in carotene like carrots, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins. If you’re on a produce kick or just a really big fan of borscht, a change in urine color is nothing to be alarmed about, just take note if it stays the same after you’ve given the farmer’s market a rest. And of course there is the notorious asparagus pee odor, caused by a harmless compound the veggie contains.
4. You have a UTI.
Yes, that awful burning feeling is a pretty good indication you’ve got a dreaded urinary tract infection, but frequency (more than seven times a day, according to Dr. Ellkerman) is also a sign it’s time to call your doc. Other symptoms of a UTI can include fever, chills, pelvic/lower-back pain, and, occasionally, the presence of red blood cells can tinge urine pink, while white blood cells that are rushing to fight your infection can turn urine cloudy or cause an unpleasant odor. Cranberry juice won’t help after the fact, but may prevent a UTI by making it difficult for bacteria to adhere to the bladder wall.
5. Your kitchen is full of wine, chocolate, coffee, or hot sauce
And they should be, as all of those things are either necessary, delicious, or both. Unfortunately if you have stress incontinence, they can also make it worse. While this isn’t terribly common in woman under 40, coffee, alcohol, sugar, and spicy foods can irritate bladder walls and aggravate the condition.
6. You’re dehydrated.
You’ve may have heard that urine color-specifically dark yellow-can indicate dehydration, and this is indeed the case. When you’re properly hydrated, pee should be clear or just vaguely straw colored (the color in urine is caused by a pigment called urichrome, which gets lighter and darker depending on how concentrated urine becomes). A strong urinary odor, also due to concentration, is a sign of dehydration.
Stay healthy :)
Source - www.oddstuffmagazine.com