By Esther Crain

What does your bladder need to do, send you smoke signals?

When you hit the bathroom, do you regularly turn around and give what’s in the bowl a quick once-over before flushing? If you answered no, well, it’s time to start. That’s because the colour, odour, and consistency of your urine not to mention the way it feels when it’s streaming out of you — can clue you in to what’s going on in your body and with your health.

Here are several warning signs to be on the lookout for every time you go…

Your Pee Has a Sweet Scent

No, this has nothing to do with your dessert habits. “Sweet-smelling urine is often an important clue in the diagnosis of diabetes,” says Holly Phillips, a women’s health specialist and medical contributor for CBS2 News. And for people who know they have diabetes, the sweet smell can indicate that their blood-sugar level is not as under control as it should be.

READ MORE: 7 Warning Signs That You’ve Got A Bladder Infection

You Notice Cloudiness

Consider it a tip-off to the presence of bacteria that could indicate a urinary tract infection (UTI). “The cloudiness comes from the excretion of bacteria and leukocytes, which are cells that fight infection,” says Phillips. Even if you otherwise feel fine and have no UTI symptoms, pay attention to this; it could be the only sign that an infection has taken hold.

There’s a Pink or Reddish Colour

Though red-purple hued veggies like beets and blackberries might be the culprit, the colour can also indicate the presence of blood in your pee – not a good sign. That’s a symptom of a UTI, kidney stones, or in rare cases even bladder or kidney cancer, says Phillips.

READ MORE: “How Often Should I REALLY Be Peeing?”

It Smells Foul

Urine isn’t supposed to smell like roses, but if the stench is pretty foul (think: rotten fruit or the bottom of a pond), it’s your bladder’s alarming way of telling you there’s an infection, says Phillips. And like cloudy urine, it could be the only clue, so don’t blow it off.

You Notice a Burning Sensation

Stinging or even pain while you pee can be caused by a UTI or an STD such as chlamydia or gonorrhoea, says Phillips.

READ MORE: 8 Vagina Changes That Mean You’ve Just Caught An STD

Constant Urgency To Wee?

This is a classic sign of a UTI, which causes the lining of your bladder and urethra to become inflamed and irritated, leaving you with the feeling of constantly having to urinate, says Phillips. It can also be a symptom of interstitial cystitis, a hard-to-diagnose condition that results in chronic bladder pressure or pain.

You’re Peeing Way More

You might be pregnant. Seriously, it’s an early sign triggered by hormonal changes that speed up blood flow from the kidneys, says Phillips. If you’re positively sure you’re not expecting and you also can’t blame it on an uptick in your consumption of alcohol or caffeinated drinks (caffeine and alcohol can make you pee more frequently), check in with your Doc. This could also signal diabetes or a tumour.

Looking for more? This explains why you feel like you can’t pee after sex.

This article was originally published on www.womenshealthmag.com