Why stinky urine

The remainder amounts mostly to waste products — calcium, nitrogen, potassium and more — filtered by your kidneys. That creates a stronger smell, notes Dr. Asparagus is infamous for giving urine a pretty stinky sulfur smell, for instance. Fast fact: Your body converts an acid in asparagus into sulfur-containing compounds, which creates that pungent result.

Coffee drinkers also may recognize a certain brewed aroma during a bathroom break. Brussels sprouts, onions and garlic also can add a certain zest to urine. 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. If you detect a hint of ammonia in your urine, it could be a sign of a urinary tract infection.

The odor suggests that bacteria may be swimming around in your urinary system, most likely in your urethra, kidneys or bladder. Urine showing signs of a UTI also may be cloudy or even a bit bloody. Peeing may also become painful — a symptom made even worse by the fact that you may feel the need to urinate more often. A fever and mental confusion are other tell-tale accompanying signs.

A strong urge to urinate, needing to urinate frequently, and a burning sensation upon urination are the most common symptoms of a UTI.

Bacteria in your urine cause urinary tract infections. A common symptom of diabetes is sweet-smelling urine. People with untreated diabetes have high blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels cause the sweet urine odor.

See your doctor as soon as possible if your urine frequently smells sweet. Untreated diabetes is dangerous and can be life threatening. A bladder fistula occurs when you have an injury or defect that allows bacteria from your intestines to enter your bladder. A strong urine odor can be a sign of liver disease. Other symptoms of liver disease include:. See your doctor right away if you have symptoms of liver disease.

Untreated liver disease can be life threatening. Phenylketonuria is an incurable genetic condition that is present at birth. It makes you unable to break down an amino acid called phenylalanine. Other symptoms include:. Maple syrup urine disease is a rare and incurable genetic disease that causes urine to smell like maple syrup. Lack of treatment can lead to brain damage and death. During pregnancy women have an increase in a pregnancy hormone called hCG.

This increase can cause your urine to have a strong odor. This is especially true in early pregnancy. However, women also have a heightened sense of smell during pregnancy which could contribute to any strong urine odor they report. Pregnant women also need to drink more water to keep from being dehydrated.

Dehydration causes uric acid to build up and can create a strong odor in the urine. To determine if your urine odor is caused by a medical condition, your doctor will use several tests. Some of these are:. Make an appointment with your doctor if you have a strong or abnormal urine odor that lasts for more than two days or if you have symptoms such as:.

Dutta says if you have a UTI, you'll probably have more symptoms than just smelly urine. The same bacteria can also make you have to go more frequently, give you a burning sensation when peeing, and even turn your urine cloudy or even bloody.

Yeast are microorganisms that naturally live in various parts of the body, including the vagina. B ut when yeast grow out of control, they can trigger an infection. Yeast infections occur in the vagina, but because the urethra is so close to the vaginal opening, your urine may pick up a scent from the neighboring infection, Dr.

Like a UTI, a yeast infection usually comes with other symptoms , like itching, redness, swelling of the vagina and vulva, and thick white discharge. But even if an STI doesn't cause urethritis, urine could still pick up a smell from irritation in the vagina, she adds.

Think you might have an STI? See your doctor ASAP. They'll help you determine the best option for treatment. Anyone who's had a kidney stone knows how painful they can be.

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.

Other symptoms of kidney stones include back, side, or groin pain; nausea or vomiting; frequent urination ; blood in urine; pain with urination; and fever. But seek medical attention if you have severe pain, vomiting, bleeding, or signs of infection.

People who have undiagnosed diabetes are "spilling out sugar into their urine," Dr. That's because they can't process sugar the way most people can, meaning they have excess glucose in the blood, which the body tries to get rid of through the urine.

People with uncontrolled diabetes will likely also have increased pee urgency or frequency, as the sugar irritates the bladder. See your doctor ASAP if you think you might have diabetes. Dutta says many people notice their urine smells different after taking vitamins—same way some people detect a different urine odor after eating certain foods.