A urinary tract infection (UTI) means germs have set up camp somewhere along the pee system—bladder, urethra, or kidneys. The signs are hard to miss and usually hit fast.

Burning is the first clue. It feels like hot sauce on the pee hole and is worst at the start of the stream.

Urge doubles. You dash to the bathroom every twenty minutes, but only a spoonful comes out.

Pain moves low. There’s a heavy, crampy ache above the pubic bone that eases right after you go.

Cloud or smell shows up. The urine looks milky, smells foul, or turns light pink if blood tags along.

Night trips increase. You wake more often than usual, even after skipping drinks before bed.

If the infection climbs to the kidneys, fever, chills, and flank pain join in—an alarm that the bugs have gone higher.