Reasons why your urine smells: Peeing is normally a chore that you do without thinking about it. Unless you sit down to relieve yourself, you discover that it stinks a bit worse than normal. A strange odor coming from down there should surely set off alarm bells. However, there are several very rational (and quite innocuous) sources of stinky pee odor. And your pee has an unpleasant odor. Urine is the material formed when the kidneys filter and eliminate waste items from the blood. The degree and kind of odor are determined by a variety of factors, including food, hydration, and age.
To clarify, urine is composed of 5% waste materials such as ammonia, calcium, chloride, creatinine, nitrogen, potassium, sodium, and urea, and 95% water filtered by the kidneys. One of the most prevalent causes of strong-smelling urine is dehydration. When you’re dehydrated, urinary waste products like ammonia become more concentrated, resulting in stronger-smelling urine.
Medical assessment of smelling urine is indicated if the urine odor persists for many days while keeping appropriate hydration or if symptoms or indications of disease arise, such as fever, general malaise, discomfort in the back or lower abdomen, nausea, and vomiting.
Here’s what may be causing that stinking urine and how to deal with each issue.
#1. You are dehydrated
When your body is dehydrated, your urine has a strong stench and appears black in color. It’s your body’s way of urging you to rehydrate immediately.
What to do about it
Start increasing your daily intake of water before your toilet water turns a shade of mustard yellow. Instead, keep a water bottle nearby so you can sip whenever you want (at your desk, in your purse, or anywhere). According to the Cleveland Clinic, if you’ve done a good job hydrating, your urine will be the color of pale straw or a more translucent yellow (like freshly made lemonade). However, if you peek into the toilet and there isn’t even a hint of yellow, don’t congratulate yourself since it implies you’ve overhydrated (yeah, that’s a thing). By the way, eight glasses of water each day is the recommended quantity.
#2. You take too much coffee.
After consuming coffee, some people may notice an interesting odor. Due to coffee metabolites, the urine has a foul smell (a.k.a. byproducts from coffee after it gets broken down in your body).
Actions to take
Since coffee is a diuretic, you might have dehydrated (more concentrated) pee, which could be a problem. However, having pee that smells like coffee in general is not a big deal. Try drinking a glass of water before or after your morning (and afternoon, and possibly night—hey, we don’t judge) cup of coffee to prevent dehydration.
#3. You may be having a urinary tract infection
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most typical and medically significant cause of smelly pee. Persons with vulvas tend to experience more UTIs because their urethras are typically shorter, making it easier for germs to enter the bladder. In fact, the first sign of a UTI is frequently strong ammonia-smelling urine or urine that smells bad or faintly pleasant.
Basically, the bacteria are to blame for the peculiar pee odor (because bacteria is what causes UTIs in the first place).The bacterium is also the cause of your urine’s hazy or crimson appearance and the characteristic burning sensation you get when urinating.
What to do
Continue to keep a close eye (or, well, nose) on how your pee smells even after you complete the antibiotics. 4 out of 10 vaginal owners who get a UTI will experience another one during the following six months. Being aware of the scent of your urine will help you visit the gynecologist sooner rather than later, as foul-smelling pee can be the first indication of this particular medical ailment.
#4. It’s possible that you have diabetes or prediabetes.
Having to urinate more frequently is one of the early signs of diabetes.
You could also have fruity or sweet-smelling urine since your body doesn’t digest sugar the same way others do, which is caused by the additional sugar being discharged by your kidneys. In contrast to type 1, which is far less common and occurs when a person’s body doesn’t create any insulin, sweet-smelling urine is most commonly an indication of type 2 diabetes, which occurs when your body doesn’t use insulin well can’t manage blood sugar. According to the CDC, type 2 diabetes is often diagnosed in adults because it takes a long time to develop.
Therefore, type 2 diabetes may be to blame if you smell fruity poop as an adult. According to Dr. Khan, the aroma and the increased frequency of trips to the bathroom indicate that you might want to get your blood sugar levels examined.
What to do
Having sweet-smelling urine is a symptom of not managing your condition adequately if you have previously been diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes (or even gestational diabetes, which may arise when you’re pregnant). And you should definitely consult your doctor right away about changing your medication or way of life
#5. You use douching products.
According to OWH, douching using perfumed feminine hygiene products is widespread in several cultures. Many women engage in the behavior to enhance hygiene, reduce odor, or, in certain situations, cure vaginal infections. However, research from 2020 that was published in the Journal of Women’s Health indicates that douching might sadly expose you to organic substances that are harmful to your health. Additionally, it is more likely to spread diseases than to treat them. Douching not only doesn’t clean your vagina, but it can also disrupt the microbiome of your entire genital area, making foul odors worse rather than better, according to Dr. Ross. And it also applies to the odor of your poop.
How to deal with it
Avoid the douche. You don’t need to douche if you’re practicing excellent hygiene (cleaning the exterior sections of your vulva with fragrance-free soap and warm water alone) and there’s nothing else wrong with your vag. According to OWH, a healthy vagina has a mix of both beneficial and bad microorganisms. When you douche, you risk washing off too many healthy bacteria and giving the bad bacteria an advantage, which can lead to an illness. If you’re concerned about the odor of your vagina, consult a doctor instead of trying to hide it with douching.
#6. You may have kidney stones.
Kidney stones are hard lumps that can develop in your kidneys as a result of specific substances in your urine crystallizing. If that isn’t obvious enough, let us state it again: According to the National Kidney Foundation, kidney stones are formed from urine. So it’s not surprising that kidney stones are one of the causes of stinky urine. A kidney stone produces a backlog of urine as it attempts to exit your body (and possibly a urinary tract infection). This results in foul-smelling urine, which may also seem hazy.
What to do
Consult a doctor if your pee smells bad and is accompanied by murky urine and pain in your back or side.
Unfortunately, since infections and a family history of kidney stones are two causes, there may not be much you can do to avoid kidney stones in the first place. However, according to the National Kidney Foundation, drinking too little water, exercising too little or too much, and eating too much salt or sugar (particularly fructose) can all lead to kidney stones. If you’ve already killed one stone and don’t want to kill another, changing your lifestyle may assist.
#7. You’ve got a yeast infection.
Itchy yeast infections arise when a normally occurring fungus that dwells in your vagina becomes uncontrolled. According to the Mayo Clinic, yeast gets the message that it’s party time when you take antibiotics, you’re pregnant, you have uncontrolled diabetes, you have a compromised immune system, or you start using either hormonal birth control or hormones recommended for menopause. According to Dr. Ross, yeast infections have a characteristic “yeasty” odor due to a balance of vaginal flora. While yeast infections are technically in your vagina, your urine might pick up the aroma since your urethra is so close.
What to do
Over-the-counter creams and suppositories (like Monistat) can help restore your microbiota, and if those don’t relieve the itch or increase the discharge, consult your doctor. They can prescribe an antibiotic to help you recover from the illness.
