Urine Colour

A lot of us probably don’t pay so much attention to our urine which happens to be our largest fluid waste product gotten from the body. You may be wondering why exactly do I have to pay so much attention to my urine? This is because there are a lot of things that your urine says about you.

Most times, the urine colour is usually determined by how much a person takes in water and the concentration of electrolytes present in a person’s body. Urine is the major liquid waste that your body provides and it comprises of different substances such as urea, water, salt and uric acid.

Normally,the function of the nephrons found in the kidneys is to basically filter the blood supplied to the kidney. It separates the blood from these substances that were mentioned above as well as from toxins.

Somethings such as medications, frequency of a person’s water intake, some certain foods as well as some certain sicknesses can affect the colour of a person’s urine.

Don’t be surprised. Urine comes in so many shades of colours that is used in depicting some malfunctioning of some body organs or used in diagnosing some sicknesses. The normal colour of a normal healthy person should be pale yellow or slightly gold.

This colour is gotten due to the presence of the hue of a pigment produced by the body. This pigment is known as UROCHROME. But if you have any other colour other than this, it will indicate an underlying medical condition which needs to be treated immediately.

Some people may have colorless urine. This is an indication of the person’s frequency of the intake of water or taking of a diuretic drug which helps to enhance the production of urine by acting to increase the secretion of ADHrH from the hypothalamus.

There are different colours of urine that will be discussed in this article and the goal of this article is to help you identify the colour of your urine so that you can get help early if needed. The different type of urine colours include the following;

Pink or red coloured urine

This is an abnormal urine colour and it can be due to some certain foods, medications or basically an underlying medical condition. Foods like carrots, berries, etc can change the person’s colour of his urine.

The change in colour to red or pink might also be a side effect of the intake of some drugs most especially some antibiotics such as rifampin or the effects of the drugs that is usually indicated for the treatment of urinary tract infections.

However, there could be another cause which is the presence of an underlying medical condition. When a person has pink or coloured urine which is as a result of an underlying medical condition, as this stage, the person is said to have hematuria otherwise known as blood in urine.

These underlying conditions include kidney problems, urinary tract infection (UTI), prostate cancer and/or a tumor, kidney or bladder stones etc.

Orange colour

When your urine is orange in colour or has the colour of a citrus, it can be due to severe dehydration or also as a result of some medications you are taking. Drugs that are used to treat Urinary Tract Infections such as pyriduim otherwise known as phenazopyridine can also be the culprit in this case.

It can also be an indication of liver problems such as liver cysts, liver tumours, hepatocytoma or liver failure. Whatever be the case, ensure that when you see this type of urine you report immediately to your doctor to have adequate tests carried out on you.

When you notice that your urine is blue or green as the case may be, it could be an indication of a pretty unusual form of urinary tract infection and it can as well as a result of the kind of drugs you are taking as well.

When a person has an unusual form of urinary tract infection caused from pseudomonas and also asparagus, the person’s urine colour might likely turn green. Sometimes as well, it could be totally harmless but to be on the safe side, you should visit a doctor when you notice this change.

When a person’s urine is blue, it could be as a result of the kind of food the person is taking or it could be as a result of the type of medications the person is taking in.

Drugs such as promethazine that is used for the treatment of asthma or allergies can turn your urine blue. Other drugs such as anaesthetic propofol, amitriptyline, indomethacine otherwise known as Indocin can also cause the urine to turn blue.

If a baby has a a rare inherited disorder known as Familial benign hypercalcemia, the child may have blue urine causing the glue diaper syndrome. A baby in this case has to be treated immediately, and monitored closely.

Foamy or cloudy urine

Foamy or cloudy urine is a strong indication of too much proteins in your body system and that can indicate a problem with your kidneys. In this case you must see a doctor urgently to know what the problem is.

You just might catch it before it causes kidney failure. While checking for your urine colour, do you know that some certain urine odours too can be a strong indication of a problem somewhere?

We must not neglect our urine colour as well as the urine odours as these things may be trying to tell us that there is a malfunctioning of an organ somewhere. Normally, urine aren’t supposed to have a strong concentrated smell and if yours is having a strong concentrated smell, it is time to visit the doctor.

A change in the smell of your urine really shouldn’t be ignored and while you may decide to attribute it to your change in diet which can actually be true, there is still a tendency that it could be as a result of some underlying factors.

Here are a few odours that can be a clear marker for an indication of a disease or an underlying cause. They include;

Foul smelling or ammonia odour

This is surely a clear indication of the presence of a urinary tract infection. Urinary tact infections usually occur as a result of the presence of bacteria pathogens and colonies in the urinary tract.

Urinary tract infections are mostly seen in women and this is because we have a more direct and open urinary tract than the males hence the easy passage of bacteria. In addition to the ammonia smell that usually accompanies UTIs, the patient may also experience an intense burning sensation around the sex organ most especially while urination is taking place, an increased frequency and urgency to urinate, and/or severe fever.

Sweet smell or maple syrup smell

When a patient notices that his/her urine is sweet smelling, this can be a clear indication of the presence of diabetes mellitus. This is because excess sugar in which the body’s pancreas cannot work with or act upon enters the urine and therefore affecting the smell of the person’s urine and even the taste of the urine likewise.

When the person’s urine has the maple syrup odour, this could be as a result of an inherited condition known as the maple syrup urine disease. This occurs because the body is unable to completely break down or digest some certain amino acids.

This then leads to the smell of the urine become like the smell of a maple syrup which is why the above named disease is called Maple Syrup Disease.

Fishy odour

If your urine has a rotten fishy odour, this could a clear indication of a genetic disorder known as Trimethylaminuria(TMAU). TMAU is a very unusual and rare genetic disorder that occurs as a result of the increase in the compound called trimethylamine causing not only the urine but also body sweat and body odour to have a strong fishy scent.

This condition has no cure just yet but a change in the diet of the individual affected as well as regular practice of clean hygiene will help improve the person’s condition. Dear women, there are 11 reasons as to why your urine smell might change and also these will help you to determine the cause(s) of the urine change. These include:

Dehydration

Dehydration is one very important reason as to why your urine will change its smell. It will become concentrated and start having the ammonia kind of smell.

Remedy: Get a bottle of water beside you always and always remember to take a sip within a space of some few minutes. This will help you stay hydrated.

Your diet

Probably you changed your diet to try out something new. Your urine smell will definitely change its smell to a very strong smell(ammonia like smell). If the salt quantity in your diet is high, your urine will become concentrated hence giving you that concentrated smell.

Remedy: Reduce your salt intake and if you are trying out something new, start little. Don’t go all diving in just yet. Watch if it has any adverse effect in your body before you dive in.

Urinary tract infections

This point can’t be over emphasized. If you have Urinary Tract infection(UTIs),your urine smell will definitely change as well your urine colour. Usually, the first marker that you have UTIs is the presence of a strong scent of ammonia.

Remedy: Visit your doctor as soon as possible of possible immediately to start treatment.

There could be diabetes

If your urine has these extra sweet kind of smell, then you should suspect diabetes. Constant sugar take in can lead to high blood sugar or eventually “High Urine Sugar”.

One tip you should know is that asides the fact that diabetes will change your urine colour and also your urine smell, you will also have the tendency to always want to use the “toilet”.

Remedy: If you notice this happening to you and you frequently always want to urinate, then you should visit your doctor as soon as possible.

Stop douching

If you are still found in the act of douching, STOP IT. If you stop douching, it doesn’t mean your vagina won’t be clean if your only use water to clean up. Douching doesn’t clean your vagina instead it messes with the chemical balance in there and as well disturbs the healthy microbial environment present in your vagina.

Guess what, douching can increase bad vagina smells and also increase your chances of ovarian cancer. It also causes chemical and PH imbalance.

Remedy: STOP DOUCHING.

Yeast

Yeast could be gathering up in your vagina and your urinary tract may pick it up and you won’t know it.

But then your urine will give you an indication of a “yeasty” kind of smell. This is because urine coming from the kidney enters into the bladder, from the bladder to the urethra and then from the urethra to the vagina. Urine will then pick up the yeast in the vagina and then get the yeasty kind of smell.

Genetic disorders

Your urine can change its smell if you have a genetic disorder. As seen above, when your urine has a strong rotten fishy smell, this means that you might have trimethylaminuria which is a genetic disorder.

As a woman, this strong smell may increase when you are ovulating or menstruating. It may also increase after you have maybe taken some oral contraceptives or after menopause.

Ovulation

When a woman is ovulating, you have an increased tendency for all your senses to be heightened and that includes your ability to perceive some certain smells. So while you are ovulating or menstruating, you may begin to experience a heightened sense of smell.

Pregnancy

Due to the activities of hormones and the growing and increased pressure placed on your bladders, you will get an increased frequency to urinate. Therefore, the urine produced may change because of the activities of the female hormones working to make your baby comfortable.

Your supplements

Your supplements and medications have the tendency to change your urine smell and this is because of the artificial flavours or coatings given to the pill to make it easier for you to swallow. This isn’t really a cause for concern until if you begin to experience other occurrences apart from the change in the smell.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)

Sexually transmitted diseases can cause unusual and annoying foul smelling odours. Chlamydia is usually found causing this and guess what, women are more susceptible to getting chlamydia. If it isn’t chlamydia, then it surely would be trichomoniasis which is a parasite that is transmitted sexually.

Annoying as they are, they usually don’t show any symptoms during the very onset of the diseases. But then, once you notice the foul smell, don’t wait too long. Go and fist your doctor or else, smelly urine might just be the least of your worries.

Always remember to check out your urine colour and notice your urine smell. This will help you identify any underlying issues lying around. This will also give your doctor a better view in diagnosing you.