Your urine can tell you a lot about your health and your habits.
Urine is produced when blood passes through the kidneys, which filter out excess waste and water.
This waste travels through tubes known as ureters and is stored in the bladder until you urinate.
What Do the Smell and Color of My Urine Tell Me?
Blood in urine can indicate that you have an undiagnosed or untreated medical condition.
Learn More About What Blood in Urine Can Mean
What Does Painful or Burning Urination Mean?
Frequent urination can be disruptive to sleep, work, hobbies, and your mood.
Your doctor may also recommend that you reduce fluid intake before you go to bed.
Learn More About What Causes Frequent Urination
How Does Your Urine Change When Youre Pregnant?
Frequent urination returns during the third trimester when the growing fetus and uterus put increased pressure on the bladder.
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If high levels of protein are detected multiple times, you may have kidney disease.
Protein in urinecan also be a sign of preeclampsia in pregnant women.
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Treatment for ketones in urine typically involves treating the underlying issue.
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Leukocytes are typically measured during a urinalysis.
Treatment for leukocytes in urine involves addressing whatever underlying medical condition is causing the higher levels.
Nitrites in Urine
Nitrates are inorganic compounds that normally pass through urine as waste.
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Levels of nitrites in urine are measured in a typical urinalysis test.
What Is a Urinalysis, and How Is It Done?
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A urinalysis involves collecting a clean urine sample via a specimen cup.
The sample is then analyzed visually, with a dipstick test, and with a microscope.
During the visual exam, the color and clearness of the urine are examined.
But there is no scientific evidence that urine therapy provides medicinal value.
When you drink urine, you ingest all the waste that your kidneys have filtered out of your body.
Therefore, drinking urine can make your urine more concentrated with waste, causing dehydration and kidney damage.
So drinking your urine is generally not recommended as a survival technique.
What Is Maple Syrup Urine Disease?
This causes urine to have a sweet-smelling odor, much like maple syrup.
It affects roughly 1 in 185,000 infants.
Aging causes the bladder to lose some of its holding capacity.
Large amounts of caffeine, a diuretic, may also be a cause.
The Takeaway
Urine changes can reveal a lot about your health and may signal underlying medical conditions.
From color shifts and unusual smells to discomfort while urinating, pay attention to anything unusual.
Stay hydrated and listen to your body if you notice persistent changes, contact your doctor.
Resources We Trust
Igor Kagan, MD, is an an assistant clinical professor atUCLA.
He is also interested in electronic medical record optimization and services as a physician informaticist.
