Before you flush, check out your pee.
As silly as it sounds, it’s important to look at your urine each time you go to the bathroom.
Sometimes odd-colored urine or smelly pee are just weird side effects of what you ate. Other times, urine color indicates health concerns.
Dora Jacobs, a Marshfield Clinic urology nurse practitioner, navigates the urine rainbow to help identify which colors of urine are healthy and when to see your provider.
How long should I wait before seeing my provider?
“For concerning colors, you can give yourself about a week to see if there’s a change,” Jacobs said. “It doesn’t hurt to go in sooner or call your provider before then if you’re worried.”
What happens when I see my provider for urine concerns?
At your appointment, you’ll have a microscopic urinalysis. You provide a urine sample, which is then examined under a microscope. Microscopic urinalyses see cells from your urinary tract, blood cells, crystals, bacteria, parasites and cells from tumors.
Your urine sample helps your provider determine next steps.
Talk to your provider
Make an appointment with your provider if you have concerns about your urine.
Related Shine365 stories:
The scoop on poop: What’s normal for you
Green poop, smelly pee. Plus more weird food side effects
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Green could also mean you have just eaten a whole bunch of asparagus.
since I am in my eightys I have been practicing emptiying my bladder, in a folded position, . I put my chest into my knees as I release the urine. I haven't had any urine or bladder problem since I started emptying in that manner. Its been 15 years now, and I have no leakage, or any infections all this time. ( I have had six pregnancies in my lifetime.)
I have never heard of this practice before. Is that something recommended by any urologists? It would seem to be a simple procedure in preventing many of the problems, such as leakage, that may come with age. Therefore, if truly effective, why do they not recommend it?
What does "not absorbing dietary fats" mean? What does that produce for medical issues?
thank you.
Hi, Lyn. I apologize – I'm having trouble finding what you're referencing. Can you clarify your question?
Thank you for reading Shine365. -Kirstie
Thank you Kristen, this PDF view was what I needed. Good & interesting artical.
Very informative article. Always learning something new. Please keep them coming.
I'm glad you enjoyed the information, Nancy. We're always looking for new topics, so your feedback and story ideas are welcome.
Thank you for reading Shine365. -Kirstie
Is there a way to get a printout of this urine chart? I work in a school and it would be a nice visual for students to compare what their urine looks like.
Hi, Trina. We added a PDF version of this infographic. It will print best on an 11×17 (or larger) sheet of paper:
Thank you for sharing with your students! -Kirstie
I have a small amount of blood in my urine for years. Doctors are not concerned. What is causing it?
Hi, Theresa. We cannot provide individualized medical advice or answers on this forum, and we cannot be sure what is causing blood in your urine without your medical history, medications, etc. If you are concerned, we recommend you communicate this again with your provider and ask for a urinalysis.
If you do not have a provider, you can find one here: https://marshfieldclinic.org/doctors
I hope this helps. Thank you for reading Shine365 -Kirstie
My doctor is aware and will repeat the UA. Not asking for advice just asking a general question which I never asked her.
Theresa – Dora, urology nurse practitioner, said blood in the urine can be a number of things: bladder infection, kidney stones, sexually transmitted infections, diabetes. Though not common, it may also signal urinary cancers. -Kirstie
Very interesting and beneficial information. Thank you. Do not call me.
A helpful visual; hint: Make you print darker and font larger.
Thank you for the feedback, Kathy. We appreciate it. -Kirstie
Kathy, I do agree with your comment. I hope they make a change. I was interested in this artical but unable to read it. 🙁
Hi, Nancy! We appreciate this feedback. Our designer has updated the graphic to a higher quality for better readability. We've also added a PDF version, which may be easier to view on a mobile device.
Thank you for reading Shine365. -Kirstie