7 Common Causes of Cloudy Urine

Written by Stephanie Watson

Medically Reviewed by Murtaza Cassoobhoy, MD on May 28, 2023

• Urinary Tract Infection
• Dehydration
• Kidney Stones
• Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI)
• Retrograde Ejaculation
• Blood in the Urine
• Prostate Problems
• More

If you notice that your urine looks cloudy instead of its usual clear, yellowish color, it could be due to infections, kidney stones, or other changes in your health. Sometimes pain or other symptoms go along with it. The sooner you learn the cause, the quicker you can get the treatment you need.

A urinary tract infection (UTI) happens when bacteria get into your bladder, kidneys, or urethra. That’s where urine comes out. Along with cloudy urine, you’ll notice symptoms like:

• Burning or pain when you pee
• A need to go more often than usual
• Leaking urine
• Smelly or bloody urine
• Pain in your lower belly

Your doctor will likely suggest antibiotics to clear up the infection. Finish all the pills that they prescribe to make sure all the bacteria get killed.

Call your doctor if you:

• Get a fever higher than 100.5 F
• Have chills
• Feel pain in your lower belly or flank
• Are nauseated or throwing up

Your urine can turn cloudy when you don’t drink enough. A lack of fluid makes urine more concentrated. It will also turn a darker color.

You can solve this problem by drinking more water every day. When you get enough fluids, your urine will be clear and light yellow in color.

Call your doctor if you:

• Feel dizzy or faint
• Get confused
• Have a fast heartbeat
• Are breathing hard

Kidney stones are crystals that form in your kidneys out of minerals and salts in your urine. Large stones can make urine back up in your bladder or another part of your urinary tract. They can cause pain, sometimes severe. You might hurt on your side and lower back, or when you pee.

Your urine could get cloudy or have blood in it. It could also be smelly or look red, pink, or brown.

Some other symptoms you might have are:

• Fever and chills
• Nausea and vomiting

Some kidney stones come out on their own in your urine. Doctors can do a noninvasive procedure to break up stones that are too big to pass through urine. Sometimes, people need surgery to remove stones.

Call your doctor if you:

• Have severe pain in your back or side
• Feel nauseated or throw up
• Have to go all the time
• Have a burning sensation when you pee
• Notice urine that is pink or red

STIs are viral or bacterial infections you catch from a partner during sex. Infections like chlamydia and gonorrhea cause a milky discharge from the penis or vagina that can turn the urine cloudy.

Other signs that you have an STI are:

• Green, yellow, or bloody discharge from the penis or vagina
• Pain or burning when you pee or have sex
• Itching around the penis or vagina

Call your doctor if you have symptoms of an STI. Antibiotics can cure infections caused by bacteria. If a virus caused your STI, medicines can treat the symptoms.

Normally when a man has an orgasm, semen travels out of their body through their penis. In retrograde ejaculation, semen backs up into the bladder. This causes a dry orgasm without any fluid. The urine is cloudy right after an orgasm because it contains semen.

Retrograde ejaculation happens when the muscle at the opening of the bladder doesn’t close tightly enough. Nerve problems from diabetes, multiple sclerosis (MS), or medicines are possible causes.

You may not need treatment for this condition unless you want to start a family and you can’t get your partner pregnant. Your doctor can suggest medicines to keep your bladder closed during sex.

Call your doctor if little or no semen comes out when you have an orgasm and you want to have a child.

Cloudiness is sometimes due to blood in the urine. Blood can stain the yellow urine red, pink, or brown.

Blood in your urine could mean you have a UTI, kidney stones, or an enlarged prostate. Rarely, it can be a sign of cancer in your urinary tract. See your doctor to get this symptom checked out.

Call your doctor if your urine looks red or pink, especially if you also have pain, fever, or other symptoms.

The prostate gland adds fluid to sperm in men. This gland wraps around the urethra, the tube that urine travels through as it moves out of the body.

Any swelling of the prostate can block the flow of urine. Blood or debris can then build up in the trapped urine and turn it cloudy.

When urine is cloudy due to prostate problems, you might also have symptoms like:

• Pain or burning when you pee
• Dribbling or trouble starting to urinate
• An urgent need to go, or frequent urination
• Blood in the urine
• Pain when you ejaculate
• Fever and chills

Your treatment depends on what’s causing the problem. You may get medicines to treat an infection or to shrink your swollen prostate.

Call your doctor if:

• You have to pee all the time
• You get up during the night to pee
• When you pee, urine dribbles out
• You see blood in your pee or semen
• It hurts when you pee or have an orgasm
• You have pain in your lower back, hips, groin, or upper thighs

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7 Common Causes of Cloudy Urine

Written by Stephanie Watson

Medically Reviewed by Murtaza Cassoobhoy, MD on May 28, 2023

• Urinary Tract Infection
• Dehydration
• Kidney Stones
• Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI)
• Retrograde Ejaculation
• Blood in the Urine
• Prostate Problems
• More

If you notice that your urine looks cloudy instead of its usual clear, yellowish color, it could be due to infections, kidney stones, or other changes in your health. Sometimes pain or other symptoms go along with it. The sooner you learn the cause, the quicker you can get the treatment you need.

A urinary tract infection (UTI) happens when bacteria get into your bladder, kidneys, or urethra. That’s where urine comes out. Along with cloudy urine, you’ll notice symptoms like:

• Burning or pain when you pee
• A need to go more often than usual
• Leaking urine
• Smelly or bloody urine
• Pain in your lower belly

Your doctor will likely suggest antibiotics to clear up the infection. Finish all the pills that they prescribe to make sure all the bacteria get killed.

Call your doctor if you:

• Get a fever higher than 100.5 F
• Have chills
• Feel pain in your lower belly or flank
• Are nauseated or throwing up

Your urine can turn cloudy when you don’t drink enough. A lack of fluid makes urine more concentrated. It will also turn a darker color.

You can solve this problem by drinking more water every day. When you get enough fluids, your urine will be clear and light yellow in color.

Call your doctor if you:

• Feel dizzy or faint
• Get confused
• Have a fast heartbeat
• Are breathing hard

Kidney stones are crystals that form in your kidneys out of minerals and salts in your urine. Large stones can make urine back up in your bladder or another part of your urinary tract. They can cause pain, sometimes severe. You might hurt on your side and lower back, or when you pee.

Your urine could get cloudy or have blood in it. It could also be smelly or look red, pink, or brown.

Some other symptoms you might have are:

• Fever and chills
• Nausea and vomiting

Some kidney stones come out on their own in your urine. Doctors can do a noninvasive procedure to break up stones that are too big to pass through urine. Sometimes, people need surgery to remove stones.

Call your doctor if you:

• Have severe pain in your back or side
• Feel nauseated or throw up
• Have to go all the time
• Have a burning sensation when you pee
• Notice urine that is pink or red

STIs are viral or bacterial infections you catch from a partner during sex. Infections like chlamydia and gonorrhea cause a milky discharge from the penis or vagina that can turn the urine cloudy.

Other signs that you have an STI are:

• Green, yellow, or bloody discharge from the penis or vagina
• Pain or burning when you pee or have sex
• Itching around the penis or vagina

Call your doctor if you have symptoms of an STI. Antibiotics can cure infections caused by bacteria. If a virus caused your STI, medicines can treat the symptoms.

Normally when a man has an orgasm, semen travels out of their body through their penis. In retrograde ejaculation, semen backs up into the bladder. This causes a dry orgasm without any fluid. The urine is cloudy right after an orgasm because it contains semen.

Retrograde ejaculation happens when the muscle at the opening of the bladder doesn’t close tightly enough. Nerve problems from diabetes, multiple sclerosis (MS), or medicines are possible causes.

You may not need treatment for this condition unless you want to start a family and you can’t get your partner pregnant. Your doctor can suggest medicines to keep your bladder closed during sex.

Call your doctor if little or no semen comes out when you have an orgasm and you want to have a child.

Cloudiness is sometimes due to blood in the urine. Blood can stain the yellow urine red, pink, or brown.

Blood in your urine could mean you have a UTI, kidney stones, or an enlarged prostate. Rarely, it can be a sign of cancer in your urinary tract. See your doctor to get this symptom checked out.

Call your doctor if your urine looks red or pink, especially if you also have pain, fever, or other symptoms.

The prostate gland adds fluid to sperm in men. This gland wraps around the urethra, the tube that urine travels through as it moves out of the body.

Any swelling of the prostate can block the flow of urine. Blood or debris can then build up in the trapped urine and turn it cloudy.

When urine is cloudy due to prostate problems, you might also have symptoms like:

• Pain or burning when you pee
• Dribbling or trouble starting to urinate
• An urgent need to go, or frequent urination
• Blood in the urine
• Pain when you ejaculate
• Fever and chills

Your treatment depends on what’s causing the problem. You may get medicines to treat an infection or to shrink your swollen prostate.

Call your doctor if:

• You have to pee all the time
• You get up during the night to pee
• When you pee, urine dribbles out
• You see blood in your pee or semen
• It hurts when you pee or have an orgasm
• You have pain in your lower back, hips, groin, or upper thighs

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Cloudy urine – reasons why urine is cloudy

The content of the article

1. What color should urine be?
2. Causes of cloudy urine
3. Possible diseases
   
   1. 3. 1. Cystitis
   2. 3.2. Metabolic disorders
   3. 3.3. Urethritis
   4. 3.4. Prostatitis
   5. 3.5. Retrograde ejaculation
   6. 3.6. Glomerulonephritis and pyelonephritis
   7. 3.7. Presence of urinary stones
   8. 3.8. Liver diseases
   9. 3.9. Abnormal vaginal discharge, vulvovaginitis
   10. 3.10. Sexually transmitted infections
4. What should I do if my urine becomes cloudy?

What color should urine be?

The normal color of urine is yellow of different shades: from light straw to rich, dark yellow. Such a scatter of options is explained by the presence of urochromes in the urine – special coloring substances, the amount of which determines the intensity of the shade. Urochromes are formed from bilirubin (a substance that colors bile). Together with bile, they first enter the intestines, and then, having been absorbed from it into the blood and oxidized, they are already in the bladder. The more urochromes in urine, the richer and brighter it will be.

Color intensity is affected by fluid volume and frequency of urination [1]. If, for example, you eat half a watermelon or drink a large amount of water at a time, in addition to changing the frequency of urging to the restroom, you can also notice a change in the usual color of urine. It can become much more transparent and watery than usual. On the contrary, a portion of morning urine after a night’s sleep may have a more saturated color than usual due to the fact that you have not been to the toilet for several hours. If the color is unusual and causes concern, this is a reason to immediately seek the advice of a specialist.

Causes of cloudy urine

“Healthy” urine is transparent, only slightly opalescent, pearlescent [2]. Turbidity in the liquid appears if pathological processes occur in the body, accompanied by other symptoms or without them.

Causes that cause cloudy urine, but are not diseases, include:

• pregnancy and puerperium;
• dehydration in hot weather, after visiting a bath or sauna;
• excessive exercise;
• Too much protein in the diet.

In addition, “stale” urine becomes cloudy, in which bacteria have already begun to multiply.

Transparency will return after the elimination of the cause that caused it. If it does not recover, it is possible that the clouding is caused by some pathology. This is an occasion to consult a specialist for diagnosis and selection of treatment tactics.

Possible diseases

Cystitis

In acute, chronic and recurrent cystitis, urine can change color, transparency, composition and other characteristics. This disease is characterized by cloudy urine of a neutral or alkaline reaction. When analyzing the fluid, a small amount of protein can be detected, the appearance of which is due to leukocytes, erythrocytes, their destruction products, an admixture of exudate, and destroyed cells of the mucous membrane of the urinary organs [3]. Sometimes with cystitis in the urine, mucus and pus can be detected, which also affects its transparency.

All these parameters return to normal with the complex treatment of the disease. In addition to antibiotics for the treatment of cystitis, your doctor may prescribe Phytolysin ^® Paste, a natural medicine that is used to relieve the symptoms of cystitis [4].

Phytolysin Paste ^® More

It contains natural herbal ingredients and can be successfully used in the complex treatment of cystitis. Due to the diuretic effect, the ability to wash out sand and small stones from the urinary tract and reduce the crystallization of the mineral components of urine, it also acts in the treatment of pyelonephritis – a possible complication of untimely or insufficient treatment of cystitis.

The multi-component natural composition includes nine plant components, as well as four essential oils. Phytolysin ^® Paste is easy to use: just dilute a teaspoon in half a glass of water and immediately take the remedy [4].

Metabolic disease

With metabolic disorders and related diseases, for example, with diabetes mellitus or gout, urine can become cloudy due to the presence of salts and glucose in it. The ingress of bacteria into the urine reduces its transparency. In addition, patients with diabetes are more prone to diseases of the genitourinary system. According to studies, bacteriuria is much more common in women with diabetes than without it [5].

Urethritis

With an inflammatory process in the wall of the urethra, urine can also become cloudy. Moreover, this symptom does not depend on the cause that caused the disease, nor on its form – acute or chronic. Turbidity may be accompanied by a change in the smell of the liquid, the appearance of blood drops at the end of urination, and pus impurities [6, 7]. Often, dense threads can be seen in the urine container, which eventually settle to the bottom.

Prostatitis

Along with frequent urination, nighttime urge to go to the toilet, pain in the groin and lower back, disorders of sexual function, cloudy urine with mucus is one of the characteristic signs of prostatitis [8].

retrograde ejaculation

Turbidity of this physiological fluid can be observed with retrograde ejaculation. With this violation, part of the sperm during ejaculation remains in the urethra and enters the bladder, causing a change in the transparency of the urine in it. This phenomenon can be caused by certain medications (eg, for high blood pressure, prostatitis, urethral diseases), diabetes mellitus, or medical interventions in the genital area [9].

Glomerulonephritis and pyelonephritis

In these diseases, the fluid contained in the bladder also becomes opaque [10]. The reason for this is the content in it of an increased number of erythrocytes, epithelium and protein.

Presence of urinary stones

Kidney stones or sand are crystals that form from minerals and salts. If large formations block the urinary tract, and smaller ones move along them with fluid flow, this can cause not only acute pain and the appearance of blood drops, but also turbidity, sometimes with an admixture of small stones [11].

Liver disease

Hepatitis and other liver diseases affect the clarity of urine. So, it can become dark, cloudy, sometimes with the inclusion of fat drops [12].

Abnormal vaginal discharge, vulvovaginitis

Physiologically, the urethra and vagina in women are located close to each other. That is why part of the secretions, especially if there are more of them than in a healthy state, can get into the urine and deprive it of transparency.

Most often, vulvovaginitis is caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses. However, the causes of inflammation of the vulva and vagina can also be hidden in allergic reactions to hygiene products, soap, spermicides, washing powder or fabric softener. In addition, vulvovaginitis can cause a natural decrease in estrogen levels during breastfeeding or after menopause [13, 14, 15]. One of the symptoms of vulvovaginitis may be a change in the transparency of urine.

Sexually transmitted infections

Viral and bacterial infections transmitted from partner to partner during intercourse cause not only itching, redness, burning and showdown. Many STIs are accompanied by discharge from the vagina or penis. It is these secretions that enter the urine during urination, making it cloudy.

In addition to the above conditions, urine can become cloudy with oncology medications [16] and an overactive bladder [17].

What to do if urine becomes cloudy?

Changes in the color and transparency of urine are one of the first signs that it is time to make an appointment with a doctor. Before visiting a specialist, remember what you ate or drank during the day before the onset of an alarming symptom, whether there were injuries to the abdominal cavity. Write down and tell at the reception what medications you are taking and for what. To make the consultation as effective as possible, it is worth coming to the doctor’s office already prepared: take a general urine test and take the results with you. If necessary, the doctor will prescribe additional examinations for you, but he will be able to draw the first conclusions on the basis of ready-made tests.

In addition to color and transparency, it is worth paying attention to other parameters – volume per trip to the toilet, smell (normal or specific), frequency and strength of urges. Perhaps, along with changes in the color and transparency of urine, you experience a feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder or pain when urinating. It may be that these symptoms are accompanied by fever, abdominal pain, or upset stools. Be sure to tell a specialist about this, then the diagnosis will be the most complete.

Keep in mind that not all types of urinalysis include a test for transparency and color. If necessary, the doctor will write directions for additional examinations.

Changes in urine – norm, causes, diagnosis, treatment

How urine is formed

Urine is formed in the process of filtering blood by the kidneys. Passing through the kidneys, the blood is cleared of unnecessary substances. Its main volume is sent back to the bloodstream, and a small amount of fluid is excreted from the body in the form of urine.

Each kidney consists of several segments – nephrons. There are glomeruli and tubules in the nephron

Blood is filtered in the glomeruli of the kidney. The resulting liquid is called primary urine

In the tubules of the kidney, primary urine is filtered again, and part of the liquid is again sent to the bloodstream (this process is called reabsorption)

Urine consists of 95% water and 5% of impurities: electrolytes, breakdown products of cell components .

If a person becomes ill, the composition of the urine changes. For example, with inflammatory kidney disease, urine may become cloudy or change color. And in diabetes mellitus, the volume of excreted fluid increases significantly.

Main characteristics of urine

Changes in urine can indicate a variety of pathologies: kidney disease, infectious processes, endocrine disorders.

You can notice some violations on your own. For example, that there is less urge to go to the toilet and less urine, or that the liquid has changed color or smell. Others can only be identified in the course of laboratory tests.

Urinalysis

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There are a number of urine characteristics that are used to assess the urinary, endocrine and other systems. Changes can be qualitative or quantitative. Among the qualitative ones are such indicators as color, transparency, foaminess. Among the quantitative ones is the volume of fluid released during the day.

Quantity

The amount of urine excreted, or diuresis, is determined during a daily analysis: the patient collects urine in a container for 24 hours, and then estimates its approximate volume. The normal amount of urine is from 800 ml to 2 liters. If urine output is less than 500 ml, the diagnosis is oliguria. If more than 2 liters – “polyuria”.

Possible causes of changes in urine volume

Oliguria – a decrease in the amount of urine separated – may indicate dehydration (for example, with fever or vomiting), severe blood loss (in case of injury, after surgery, during menstruation).

Polyuria may indicate the development of diabetes or diabetes insipidus, excessive production of the hormone by the parathyroid glands or the adrenal cortex. Also, polyuria may indicate diseases of the urinary system.

Color

The color of urine is determined by the bile pigment, which is produced in the liver during the breakdown of hemoglobin. Normally, urine should be clear or light yellow.

Possible causes of discoloration of urine

A change in the color of urine does not always indicate pathology. Hue may change due to natural or synthetic dyes present in food, or changes in fluid intake.

The color of urine can determine the general condition of the body and identify some pathologies, including dehydration

Also, the color of urine can be affected by medications taken: depending on the drug, it can become bright yellow, orange, reddish or dark brown.

However, if the color of the urine has changed for no apparent reason, this is a reason to be examined. Hue may change due to kidney disease
(pyelonephritis, urolithiasis, kidney infarction) and liver (hepatitis, cirrhosis, cholelithiasis) or in case of metabolic disorders.

Transparency

Fresh urine should normally be completely clear. Gradually, it may precipitate from salts and mucus.

Possible reasons for the change in transparency

If the urine is cloudy or with a suspension, this may indicate that it contains salts, bacteria, mucus. This composition indicates inflammatory diseases of the urinary system, urolithiasis or metabolic disorders.

Urine may also become cloudy if a person eats a lot of fish and seafood.

Specific Gravity (Density)

Specific gravity indicates how dense the urine is, i.e. concentrated. The indicator is quite unstable: it changes during the day (urine has the highest density in the morning), depends on the amount of fluid you drink and even on the air temperature outside. However, significant deviations from the norm may indicate the development of pathological processes.

Possible causes of changes in specific gravity

A significant deviation in the density of urine from the norm can develop with metabolic disorders, diseases of the kidneys or bladder, hormonal imbalance, inflammatory diseases. Also, the density can increase with dehydration: diarrhea, vomiting, intense training.

This is one of the indicators that a person can notice even without a laboratory test: the richer the color of the urine, the higher its specific gravity. An increase in the density of urine without an obvious reason (for example, a recent poisoning) is a reason to consult a doctor.

Odor and foaminess

Normally, fresh urine is practically odorless and does not foam.

Possible causes of odor or foam

If the urine has a sharp or specific odor, this may indicate dehydration, diseases of the urinary system (pyelonephritis, cystitis), urogenital infections or serious metabolic disorders.

Foaming is usually caused by protein. It can get into the urine with kidney pathologies.

If the urine foams, see a doctor and get tested

Acidity (pH)

The reaction of urine – more acidic or alkaline – reflects the acid-base balance throughout the body. According to this indicator, a number of violations can be identified and the body’s ability to resist infections can be determined.

Possible causes of changes in acidity

A change in pH can indicate diseases of the kidneys and bladder, such as thyroid dysfunction, diabetes, gout. Acidity can change during acute pathological processes: fever, vomiting.

The reaction is also influenced by the characteristics of the diet: if a person eats a lot of meat and protein foods, the environment becomes acidic, if the diet is dominated by vegetables and cereals, it becomes alkaline. When fasting, acidity rises.

Urine pH can be determined independently using test strips

What to do if your urine changes

Deviations from the norm do not always indicate pathological disorders. First of all, when collecting, there is a high probability of error – for example, mucus may appear if it is bad to wash or collect not the middle, but the first portion of urine. Among other factors that may affect the result: incorrect storage of the material (in a warm place, more than 12 hours), use of a non-sterile container, examination during menstruation.

If the analysis is not normal, the doctor will most likely ask for a second urine test.

Which doctors to contact if violations are detected

In case of any abnormalities in the properties or analysis of urine, you should consult a general practitioner.