The bad smell of urine can create great discomfort in those who suffer from it, especially if they are in a foreign house or if they are in a public bathroom, since the strong smell of urine can remain many minutes in the bathroom if it is not ventilated correctly.
Although the smell of sulfur in the urine is usually temporary, it may be the case that it lasts a long time and we begin to worry, especially if we lead a healthy lifestyle. If you find yourself in this situation and don't understand why your urine smells so strong, in this article we will answer your question of “why does my urine smell like sulfur“.
Types of urine odor: It is difficult to describe the smell of urine, especially when we notice that it varies and we cannot decipher what the normal smell is in the urine. However, we can find certain similarities with some known aromas, such as the following:
- Urine with the smell of rotten egg.
- Urine with the smell of ammonia.
- Urine with the smell of sulfur.
- Urine with a sweet smell.
- Urine with a metallic smell.
- Fishy urine.
However, we can say that these odors are abnormal, that is, they should not occur in a normal situation. If you're interested in knowing what the normal smell of urine looks like, you may be interested in this other article on What normal urine odor looks like.
Causes of cloudy urine with a bad smell
Normally, when our urine smells of sulfur, the color that accompanies it is not very pleasant either, because it usually presents a murkier and darker shade, when the normal color of a healthy pee should be light yellow or semi-transparent. Why does my urine smell of sulfur, then? These are the possible causes:
- Lack of fluids: not drinking enough water can cause dehydration in the body, which would create a concentration of toxins in the kidneys that, when expelled by the bladder, would give off a fairly acidic and strong smell.
- Food: this is another of the key factors when determining the smell and color of our pee. If we eat asparagus, spicy or greasy food, it is normal that the next times we go to the bathroom we find a slightly more intense smell than usual.
- Infections: Most bacterial infections give off an unpleasant odor, since in itself a cluster of bacteria produce some type of odor. In the case of women, this smell could be more noticeable due to menstrual flow.
- Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs): Some sexually transmitted diseases cause inflammation and pain in the genitals from the infection that is present. Hence, certain STDs such as chlamydia and gonorrhea produce sulfur odor in the urine.
- Diabetes: Diabetes can be very dangerous and even deadly if not properly controlled. Usually, with the presence of diabetes, the smell of pee is altered and gives off a strange sweet smell, although it may be the case that, on the contrary, the urine smells quite strong and acidic.
- Medicines: Drugs, unless they are homeopathic, usually contain a large number of chemical components, which can cause urine, sweat, saliva or feces to give off unusual and unpleasant odors.
However, the most common is that the smell of sulfur in the urine is due to the presence of infections in the body. Keep reading if you want to know what kind of infections you can suffer.
Urine with the smell of ammonia or sulfur from infections
When our urine has a very strong smell due to infections, they are usually simply urine infections. In this sense, we could distinguish two types of urinary tract infections:
- Prostatitis: Sometimes, the prostate of men can become inflamed due to various problems, including an infection. If so, the correct passage of urine to the outside would be prevented, which would therefore cause a concentration of toxins and, when expelled, a fairly strong smell would be released, such as ammonia or sulfur.
- Cystitis: this type of infection can be suffered by both men and women. In this case, the infection may have been produced in the urinary tract or through the bloodstream, which would directly affect the kidneys.
It must also be said, however, that urinary tract infections can be caused by fungi, viruses, bacteria or parasites, although the most common is to contract an infection due to the presence of the bacterium Escherichia coli, which usually lives in the intestine.
Strong urine odor in pregnancy
During pregnancy, many hormonal changes occur, which could cause certain consequences, such as a change in the smell and color of the urine. However, below we summarize the possible causes of the smell of strong urine in pregnancy.
- hCG hormone: this is the so-called pregnancy hormone, which is very present during pregnancy, which would lead to a change of smell in the urine.
- Progesterone: another hormone that is altered during pregnancy is progesterone, which makes the woman's olfactory sense more acute. In this way, she would be more sensitive to certain odors such as urine, which may seem to smell worse than normal, when she simply detects the odors more deeply.
- Urine infection: As in the previous cases, the smell of sulfur in the urine may be due to the fact that the woman has caught a urine infection, something quite common among pregnant women. You may also be interested in how to avoid urine infections in pregnancy.
- Vitamins and supplements: certain vitamins and food supplements in pregnancy can generate adverse reactions in our body. As with conventional medications, dietary supplements can cause a bad urine odor.
- Gestational diabetes: this, although it may not seem like it, is something very common in pregnancy. Diabetes can develop while you are pregnant, until delivery arrives, at which point the diabetes disappears. Diabetes, as we explained above, can also cause problems in the urine.
In addition to these reasons, poor hydration could also occur during pregnancy, which would cause a bad smell of urine, in addition to a cloudy and dark color.
