Common Causes
The stones develop in the kidney but can move into the bladder. In most cases, kidney stones are quite ea. Anyone who develops kidney or bladder stones may experience ammonia-smelling urine.When stones pass through the urinary tract, the risk for UTIs increases and they can cause urine to have an ammonia smell.
Related Conditions
Urine could have foul, strong, or sweet smelling characteristics. The most common causes of bad smelling urine are dehydration, dietary changes, or a side-effect of medication. Less commonly, strong smelling urine can also be caused by infection, high blood sugar, or liver damage. Read below for more information on associated symptoms, other causes and foods that make your urine smell, and ...
Do kidney stones cause smelly urine?
Treatment for smelly urine depends on the cause. It can be as simple as drinking more water or treating the underlying condition that is causing the odor, such as kidney stones, diabetes, or liver problems.
What causes smelly urine?
When urine is highly concentrated, it contains more ammonia and less water. This can cause it to have a strong smell. Urine tends to be more concentrated when a person is dehydrated. This is often the case first thing in the morning or when a person does not drink enough water throughout the day.
What do you do about strong smelling urine?
What does strong smelling urine mean?
Does smelly urine indicate an infection?
Urinary tract infection: Foul-smelling urine is a symptom of a urinary tract infection. Other symptoms are cloudy urine, an urgent need to urinate, or a burning sensation while urinating. The foul smell may be the only symptom of a urinary tract infection.
What infection causes smell in urine?
Urinary tract infections UTIs tend to affect women and girls more, but men and boys can also develop UTIs. These infections are the result of bacteria entering the urinary tract. The bacteria make urine smell unpleasant and cause it to be cloudy or bloody.
Why does my pee have a funky smell?
Some foods and medications, such as asparagus or certain vitamins, can cause a noticeable urine odor, even in low concentrations. Sometimes, unusual urine odor indicates a medical condition or disease, such as: Cystitis (bladder inflammation) Dehydration.
What does UTI smell like?
A UTI can cause bacteria from the infection to contaminate the urine, resulting in a distinct fishy smell. UTIs are more common in women than men. Other symptoms include: urine that is cloudy or bloody.
What does kidney stone urine smell like?
Kidney stones could change the smell of urine due to ammonia. In addition to ammonia this condition often puts more salts in the urine, which can change the smell to be a bit more unusual, but not necessarily foul-smelling.
What does ammonia smell like in urine?
Why does my urine smell like ammonia? Urine does not usually have a strong odor to it. However, occasionally, it will have a pungent smell of ammonia. One explanation for an ammonia odor is high amounts of waste in the urine.
What does diabetic urine smell like?
Hyperglycemia and diabetes High blood sugar is a tell-tale sign of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. If you have diabetes, you may notice your pee smells sweet or fruity. This is because the body is trying to get rid of the excess blood sugar and is disposing of glucose through your urine.
What does sulfur smell like in urine?
Why does my urine smell like sulfur? On some occasions, people may notice that their urine smells like sulfur or rotten eggs. This can sometimes occur as a result of eating specific foods or taking certain medications, in which case the smell should be temporary.
How do I get rid of smelly urine?
Take these steps to reduce the amount of odor your urine produces:Drink enough fluid.Get examined for possible infection.Change your diet.Drink cranberry juice.Take deodorizing tablets or Vitamin C.Controlling Odor With Cleaning and Incontinence Products.
How do you get rid of the smell from a UTI?
Ways to Reduce Urine OdorDrink Enough Fluids. Many people are worried about drinking fluids because they fear it will increase their chances of leakage. ... Get an Exam. Get an examination to check for infection in your bladder or urinary tract. ... Switch it Up. ... Drink Cranberry Juice. ... Take Deodorizing Tablets.
What does chlamydia make your pee smell like?
Signs of chlamydia if you have a vagina Chlamydia bacteria often cause symptoms that are similar to cervicitis or a urinary tract infection (UTI). You may notice: White, yellow or gray discharge from your vagina that may be smelly. Pus in your urine (pyuria).
What is best antibiotic for urinary tract infection?
Drugs commonly recommended for simple UTIs include:Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra, others)Fosfomycin (Monurol)Nitrofurantoin (Macrodantin, Macrobid)Cephalexin (Keflex)Ceftriaxone.
What makes urine smell?
For the most part, urine carries very little odor. The reason why is simple: It’s about 95% water. The remainder amounts mostly to waste products — calcium, nitrogen, potassium and more — filtered by your kidneys.
What urine odors might mean
Not every unique urine odor can be explained simply by diet, though. Sometimes, that malodourous stream serves as a warning sign of an underlying health issue that deserves attention, says Dr. Bajic.
Bottom line
There’s usually a pretty basic explanation for urine that smells a bit different. It’s just the way your body functions, says Dr. Bajic. In most cases, that funk should disappear within a day or so.
Why does urine smell?
Dutta explains. "So when you're dehydrated, your urine has less water in relation to waste products, which can make you have smelly urine ," she says.
Why does coffee make my urine smell?
Coffee metabolites, or the byproducts that come from coffee when it's broken down in your body, can make urine smell, Dr. Dutta says. (Like we said before, this isn't the case for everyone. So if you've never noticed an odor after your morning cup of joe, you're probably in the clear.)
Why does coffee make you pee?
Coffee is also a diuretic, meaning it makes you have to pee a lot, flushing your body of extra fluid and sodium. Diuretics can cause dehydration, so on top of the smell from those coffee metabolites, your pee may also have a stench because it's more concentrated than usual.
How to tell if you're dehydrated?
You can check the color of your urine to confirm whether you're dehydrated. If it's amber- or honey-colored, or even a dark orange, you probably need to up your water intake. But if it's a pale straw or transparent yellow color, you're well hydrated, which means your urine could be smelly for another reason.
How do kidney stones form?
Kidney stones develop when salt and other minerals found in urine stick together and form into hard stone-like deposits. They can be as small as sand-like grains or as large as full-on chunks of gravel. "Kidney stones can collect bacteria and lead to infection or sometimes bleeding," Dr. Dutta says.
What foods make you pee?
Other foods, like Brussels sprouts, onions, garlic, curry, salmon, and alcohol, can have a similar effect. Dr. Dutta suggests drinking plenty of water when eating foods that you know make your pee; it'll dilute your urine so the stench isn't so noticeable.
Can asparagus make your urine smell?
Asparagus is notorious for making urine smelly. But if this veggie doesn't give your pee a funky odor, that's normal, too.Dr. Dutta says everyone digests food differently, and some can get away with eating asparagus without any change in their urine.
How to get rid of urine smell?
Fix it: Drinking more water will dilute your urine, which will tame the smell. You'll know you're properly hydrated if your pee is somewhere between clear and a light yellow color, per the Cleveland Clinic. If you have additional symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor. Advertisement.
Why does urine smell like ammonia?
You may be dehydrated. Urine is mostly made up of water, with the addition of waste products like urea. If you have foul-smelling or pungent urine that has a strong ammonia scent, then it's likely you're dehydrated, leading to more concentrated urine. Advertisement.
Why does my pee smell fishy?
If Your Pee Smells Fishy... You might have an infection. Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that can affect people of any sex. People assigned male at birth often have no symptoms, but those assigned female can have a fishy-smelling vaginal discharge.
Why can't I smell asparagus?
Fun fact: Lots of people can't smell "asparagus pee" because of certain genetic variants that make them unable to detect this odor.
Why does my vagina smell yellow?
Along with the odor, discharge may be greenish-yellow, and you may experience vaginal irritation, notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fix it: This infection is cured with a single dose of antibiotics. 3. If You Have Sweet-Smelling Urine... It might be an infection, or it could be diabetes.
Does drinking water help with urine smell?
For instance, an ammonia smell to your urine along with burning, pain with urination and fever may point to a urinary tract infection (UTI), Dr. Agarwal says. Fix it: Drinking more water will dilute your urine, which will tame the smell.
Does asparagus make your urine smell?
In one study published in The BMJ in 2016, about 60 percent of people claimed they didn't have smelly pee after eating asparagus. (They really did, but their noses were none the wiser.) Other foods that are known to change your urine odor include garlic, salmon, Brussels sprouts and curries, Dr. Agarwal says.
Diet
If you’re in the 40 percent of people who can smell a distinct odor in your pee after eating asparagus, you likely know how food can impact urine. But the spindly stalks aren’t the only food responsible for stinky pee.
Urinary tract infection
Changes in the smell of your urine may be the first sign of a urinary tract infection (UTI). Soon after, you may begin to experience pain when you urinate.
Sexually transmitted infection
Several sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including chlamydia and trichomoniasis, can cause vaginal discharge. This atypical discharge may change the smell of your pee as it’s passing out of the urethra.
Medications and vitamins
Certain medicines, vitamins, and supplements may alter the smell of urine. Some drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, infections, and diabetes are known to impact the waste’s smell, too.
Bacterial vaginosis
A person’s vagina naturally contains different kinds of bacteria. Your body works to maintain balance between different bacteria, preventing specific types from growing out of control. This balance is sometimes altered, resulting in bacterial vaginosis.
Ovulation
Ovulation occurs when an egg is released for fertilization during a menstrual cycle. The hormones estrogen and progesterone are responsible for stimulating that egg release.
Pregnancy
As with ovulation, hormonal changes may make your nose more sensitive to smells if you’re pregnant. That means everything from your urine to the dinner you’re making may smell stronger to you.
What does it mean when your urine smells?
If you are well-hydrated, urine may not smell like anything, or it may take on the aroma of something you ate or drank, like asparagus or coffee. A strong, undesirable smell, especially if it keeps occurring, can be a sign of illness.
Why does my urine smell so bad?
The most common causes of bad smelling urine are dehydration, dietary changes, or a side-effect of medication. Less commonly, strong smelling urine can also be caused by infection, high blood sugar, or liver damage. Read below for more information on associated symptoms, other causes and foods that make your urine smell, and treatment options.
Why does my urine smell like asparagus?
It may also present with bladder pain and possibly fever or chills. Dehydration and concentration of urine can also increase the intensity of the smell of urine.
How long does urine smell last?
Temporary: A bout of bad or foul-smelling urine will resolve quickly if it's due to foods or drinks. It may last days if due to an infection. Persistent: Conditions like diabetes or liver failure may cause bad smelling urine that last weeks or months if not treated.
What is the color of urine?
Urine is the product of the kidneys filtering the blood from waste products and excess water. Depending on what you eat, the color and odor of your urine can change. Beets are known to turn urine pink or red, which can be mistaken for blood. Asparagus sometimes gives a distinctive smell. Medication can also change smell and color of your urine.
What is a urinary tract infection?
A urinary tract infection is an infection of the urinary tract, which includes the kidneys, bladder, and urethra. Urinary tract infections are usually caused by infections by fecal bacteria. Symptoms of urinary tract infections include pain with urination (dysuria), ..
Can medication change the color of urine?
Medication can also change smell and color of your urine. Rarity: Common. Top Symptoms: a change in either color of odor of urine, frequent urination. Symptoms that always occur with non-specific change in urine: a change in either color of odor of urine.
