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.
One of the most common reasons for strong-smelling pee is dehydration. Everyone's urine has ammonia in it. The more hydrated you are, the less concentrated the ammonia is. But when you're dehydrated, the ammonia concentration is stronger — and so is the smell.
In most cases, a strong smell isn't a sign of disease. It's usually from your diet and medications, or it means you need to drink more water. Certain urine smells can be a sign of some conditions, but your doctor might not consider that to be the case unless you have other symptoms.
It's usually caused either by a UTI or an imbalance of “good” and “bad” bacteria naturally found within the body. When caused by bacteria, the bacteria will affect the urine as it sits in or passes through the bladder. This can lead to strong, sulfur-smelling urine.
One of the most common reasons for strong-smelling pee is dehydration. Everyone's urine has ammonia in it. The more hydrated you are, the less concentrated the ammonia is. But when you're dehydrated, the ammonia concentration is stronger — and so is the smell.
Make a solution of baking soda, peroxide and any dish detergent. The combination of the three is often powerful enough to drive away strong urine smells. The solutions is eight fluid ounces of peroxide, three tablespoons of baking soda, and a few drops of dish detergent.
Pee smells different when there's less water and/or more waste. Certain foods, medications, and dehydration can cause smelly pee. Less commonly, smelly pee might be due to a health condition, like a urinary tract infection or diabetes. Smelly pee is common and rarely a cause for concern.
Kidney disease causes chemicals in urine to become concentrated and to cause a smell resembling ammonia. Kidney dysfunction can also cause high bacteria and protein levels in the urine, which will contribute to a foul ammonia smell.
It's not necessary to see your GP about smelly urine unless you're concerned. This may be, for example, if you have other symptoms too. See your GP if: you have symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI), such as pain, presence of blood, or a burning sensation when urinating and a need to urinate often.
Drink Cranberry Juice
Cranberry juice increases the acidity of urine, which can reduce odor.
Fish Odor Syndrome
Also called trimethylaminuria, this genetic condition can give your pee a fishy smell. It happens when your body can't break down trimethylamine. You end up getting rid of the compound through your pee, sweat, breath, and other fluids. It doesn't mean you're unhealthy.
Drink Cranberry Juice
Cranberry juice increases the acidity of urine, which can reduce odor.
Some medications or supplements may also be responsible for changing the urine's odor. These include sulfa drugs, which treat diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and other conditions, and some supplements, such as B vitamins. Drinking more water may help to dilute the sulfur compounds in the body and reduce the smell.
Pee that smells like ammonia
If you detect a hint of ammonia in your urine, it could be a sign of a urinary tract infection (UTI). The odor suggests that bacteria may be swimming around in your urinary system, most likely in your urethra, kidneys or bladder.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one possible cause of having an ammonia taste in your mouth, sometimes called “ammonia breath.” Some people describe ammonia breath as having a metallic taste, while others have reported that it smells similar to urine.
Urine often has a slight ammonia smell, especially first thing in the morning or when a person is dehydrated. Smelly urine can also be a sign of an infection, however, so if the smell does not go away on its own, or if additional symptoms develop, see a doctor.
Diabetes: Strong sweet-smelling urine is a sign of advanced diabetes, which can be diagnosed with urinalysis. With advanced diabetes, sugar and ketones, which are normally absent, can accumulate in the urine and create a strong odor.
Causes of cystitis
Cystitis is usually caused by bacteria from poo getting into the tube that carries urine out of your body (urethra). Women have a shorter urethra than men. This means bacteria are more likely to reach the bladder and cause an infection.
Bacterial cystitis
UTIs typically occur when bacteria outside the body enter the urinary tract through the urethra and begin to multiply. Most cases of cystitis are caused by a type of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria.
How is cystitis diagnosed? There are a few different ways to diagnose cystitis. Your doctor may ask for a urine sample to determine the cause of your cystitis and check for a UTI. Your doctor may also perform cystoscopy, or an imaging test to determine the cause of your symptoms.
Stress can also cause symptoms of a chronic urinary condition called interstitial cystitis (IC) to flare up. In a 2019 study involving children and teens with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), researchers found that around 20 percent had significantly higher stress than those without symptoms.