CHANCES are you don’t pay much attention to your pee.
How it looks can vary day to day depending on what you’re eating or drinking.
Murky wee could be pointing to certain health conditions
But if you’re noticing that your wee is cloudier than usual, it might point to certain health conditions.
Some won’t be much to worry about but some could require some medical attention – here’s what your murky wee could mean for your health.
Urinary tract infection (UTI)
According to Medical News Today, what makes your pee cloudy if you have a UTI is “a discharge of either pus or blood into the urinary tract” or “a build-up of white blood cells that indicates the body is trying to eliminate invading bacteria”.
If you have a UTI, your wee will also be foul smelling and you’ll feel like you’re not fully emptying your bladder.
You might experience some pain when weeing and you might notice your urine is bloody or dark tinged.
If left untreated a UTI could progress into a kidney infection, which could cause fever, nausea and vomiting and back or side pain.
It’s best to visit a GP if you one for the first time.
But make an urgent appointment or call NHS 111 if you:
have a very high temperature, or feel hot and shiveryhave a very low temperature below 36Care confused or drowsyhave pain in the lower tummy or in the back, just under the ribscan see blood in your pee
Dehydration
If you don’t have enough fluid in your body, chances are it’ll affect how your pee looks.
Dark, cloudy and strong smelling urine are some signs you’re dehydrated.
You might also notice you feel thirsty and dry-mouthed and you’re weeing less than usual.
Try to rehydrate if you’re noticing these symptoms – if you’ve been ill and consuming liquids is harder, start with small sips and gradually drink more.
But severe dehydration can be much more serious, so you should seek immediate medical help if you’re feeling disoriented and losing consciousness.
Sexually transmitted infection (STI)
You can get an STI from having unprotected sex – common ones like gonorrhoea or chlamydia could make your wee cloudy.
This is due to your body’s immune response to the infection, leading white blood cells to mix with your urine.
Other symptoms could include unusual discharge from your vagina, penis or anus, as well as itchiness and rashes, blisters, sores or warts and pain when peeing.
It’s a good idea to get any symptoms checked out at a sexual health clinic – visit one if your partner has any symptoms too, or if you’re worried after having sex without a condom.
Regular testing for STIs can help detect them early and it also means you won’t spread them between partners.
Vaginitis
Vaginitis is pretty common and treatable – symptoms include soreness and itchiness in and around your vagina, unusual discharge, dryness, spotting and swollen or cracked skin.
There are a few things that can cause it, including STIs, yeast infections, hormone changes during menopause and skin conditions such as eczema.
But something as simple as the soap or tampons you use could also cause vaginitis.
Nevertheless, it’s one of the things that could make you pee murky.
It’s best to go to a sexual health clinic or GP if you think you have it for the first time, or the symptoms are really bothering you.
Prostatitis
This is a painful swelling in your prostate gland, which lies between your penis and bladder and creates semen.
The condition can either be chronic – symptoms reoccurring over several months – or acute, when symptoms are severe and sudden. The latter is potentially life threatening, according to the NHS, so you should get treatment immediately.
Aside from maybe causing cloudy urine, prostatitis can give you:
pain in your penis, testicles, anus, lower abdomen or lower back, and when you poo pain when peeing the need to wee a lot, trouble starting, or not being able to at all blood in your weepain when ejaculating
See a GP straight away if you have these symptoms so that the cause can be investigated.
Kidney stones
Another cause of your cloudy pee could be kidney stones, which develop after waste products from your blood form crystals which collect in your kidneys and form stone-like lumps over time.
They’re more likely to happen if you don’t drink enough fluids or are taking certain medications.
After a kidney stone has formed, your body will try to pass it out when you pee.
Small stones may pass without incident, but larger stones can block the urinary tract and cause a UTI.
Passing the stones can cause severe pain in your tummy or groin. You might also notice some blood in your wee and get a temperature or feel sick.
Diabetes
Sometimes diabetes – or the damage cause to your kidneys by the condition – can make your pee murky.
Common signs you may have diabetes include:
going to the toilet a lot, especially at nightbeing really thirstyfeeling more tired than usuallosing weight without trying togenital itching or thrushcuts and wounds that take longer to healblurred vision
The symptoms are caused by high levels of glucose remaining in the blood, where it cannot be used as energy.
Diet
Lastly, you diet could be the cause of your less clear pee.
Medical News Today said consuming large amounts of phosphorus could have that effect. In that case, a cloudy appearance will occur when their kidneys attempt to filter the excess mineral from the bloodstream.
Foods that contain it include:
dairymeatsseafoodnuts and seedsbeans
Moral of the story – if you’re noticing your pee is cloudy and also experiencing other symptoms, it’s best to speak to your GP and they will be able to get to the root of it.