Having a Smelly Pee? This Could Be A Symptom Of A More Serious Health Problem

Peeing is just a simple task. It’s a way wherein our body gets rid of the waste and extra water that it doesn’t need. Generally, normal urine has a very limited amount of smell.

But what is after peeing, we notice that our urine seems to have an extra pungent or fishy and weird smell? Well, there are logical reasons for this. Some of these reasons might be potentially concerning. Check these out.

Reasons Behind Smelly Urine

Having Urinary Tract Infection Or Bladder Infection

Our urine may smell pretty foul at times due to a urine infection. This could mean a variety of bladder problems like inflammation of the bladder (cystitis), bladder infection, or a UTI.

Being Dehydrated

Our pee may possibly smell like a strong ammonia scent if we don’t drink enough amounts of water. Since water dilutes our urine, inadequate amounts of it will only make our urine more concentrated with waste products thus, making it darker in color and more odorous. Interestingly, the smell goes back to normal if we drink more water.

Might Have Diabetes Or Pre-Diabetes

Muhammad Shamim Khan, MD, a urologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital says:

“One of the first ways diabetes manifests is in the bathroom, causing you to have to urinate more frequently.”

A person may have fruity” or sweet-smelling urine, due to the extra sugar being excreted by his kidneys.

Experts recommend getting our blood sugar levels checked if we find ourselves always running to the toilet more than usual.

Might Have Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are hard masses that form when certain chemicals in our urine start to crystallize. Once these stones try to make their way out of our body, they cause a backup of urine (and possibly a urinary tract infection). That backup leads to foul-smelling pee that may also look cloudy and as a person pees, he may experience pain in his back or side.

Intestines Are Possibly Leaking Into The Bladder

A fistula is an abnormal connection between two body parts – this may be between the bladder and intestines – resulting from infection, surgery, injury or inflammation. This scenario can mix the contents of the bladder and intestines, thus making the urine smell foul.

According to experts, this happens to people with cancer or with an inflammatory bowel disease, like Crohn’s, or bad diverticulitis (digestive tract infection).

May Have A Yeast Infection

A yeast infection happens when a naturally-occurring fungus that lives in the vagina gets a chance to grow wild. This can really be itchy and comes with a distinctive “yeasty” smell caused by the imbalance of vaginal bacteria. The urine will pick the scent because the infections are technically in the vagina.

Some of the reasons behind yeast infections are uncontrolled diabetes, pregnancy, impaired immune system, and taking antibiotics.

Eating Certain Foods

Some foods make our urine smells. Included in the list of the classic culprit behind smelly urine are garlic, onions, asparagus, and a ton of coffee.