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.
Urine is mostly waste products and water and normally has a mild smell and a light yellow color. If you have more waste than water in your urine, it can smell more strongly. 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.
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.
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.
Cystitis
It's often caused by a bacterial infection, such as a UTI. The bacteria from the infection can result in a strong fish smell in the urine.
Eating a lot of protein
As a result, the ketone level in the blood will rise. When these ketones leave the body in the urine, the urine may smell sweet or similar to popcorn.
The following conditions can sometimes cause smelly urine, but they are uncommon: urinary stones – these may cause an ammonia-like odour (read about bladder stones and kidney stones)
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.
Another indicator that you could have a bladder infection is that your pee strongly smells when you urinate. While your pee may always smell differently if you drink a lot of coffee, you'll notice a particularly different smell if you have a bladder infection. It will have an off or funny smell that you aren't used to.
Urine may smell like ammonia when it becomes concentrated with waste products. A variety of conditions can cause waste products to build up in urine, such as bladder stones, dehydration, and urinary tract infections. In most cases, urine that smells like ammonia can be treated with fluids or antibiotic medications.
Ammonia odor happens when chemicals in urine are concentrated due to a lack of water. In addition to an ammonia-like odor, another telltale sign of dehydration is bubbles in a person's urine. And if someone is dehydrated, their urine is dark honey or brown color, rather than a pale yellow or gold.
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.
Strong-smelling urine has several possible causes. One possibility, diabetes, is a serious medical concern. Other reasons can range from diet — specifically asparagus — to a urinary tract infection, which requires treatment.
Foamy, frothy or bubbly urine.
Diabetes can cause cloudy urine when too much sugar builds up in your urine. Your urine may also smell sweet or fruity. Diabetes can also lead to kidney complications or increase risk of infections of the urinary tract, both of which can also make your urine appear cloudy.
"Diabetes can also cause your urine to smell. Firstly, if you develop diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), this causes an increase in ketones in the urine. Ketones smell like acetone – like pear drops, or like nail-polish remover. DKA usually occurs in people with Type 1 diabetes, and is a medical emergency.
If your breath smells like acetone -- the same fruity scent as nail polish remover -- it may be a sign of high levels of ketones (acids your liver makes) in your blood. It's a problem mainly of type 1 diabetes but also can happen with type 2 if you get a serious condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
Bladder infections are a type of UTI, but not all urinary tract infections are bladder infections. A UTI is defined as an infection in one or more places in the urinary tract—the ureters, kidneys, urethra, and/or bladder. A bladder infection is a UTI that's only located in the bladder.
In women, cystitis is one of the most common types of UTIs and usually doesn't cause serious problems. Acute cystitis that happens after repeated vaginal intercourse is referred to as honeymoon cystitis. Mild cases of honeymoon cystitis often improve by themselves within several days.
Painful Bladder Syndrome (PBS)
PBS is not caused by an infection, but it can feel like a urinary tract infection or UTI. Painful bladder syndrome is also referred to as bladder pain syndrome and interstitial cystitis.