What Your Foamy Pee Might Be Telling You About Your Health
Given how often you use the bathroom, you probably glance in the toilet bowl here and there. And, if you happen to spot frothy or bubbly pee, it’s completely understandable to wonder, “why is my urine foamy?”
Urologists stress that foamy urine isn’t automatically cause for alarm. In fact, it’s completely normal to have foamy pee in the toilet bowl for at least a little while after you go. But in some situations, foamy urine can be a sign of an underlying health condition, like diabetes or kidney issues. That’s why it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the situation if you notice some foam in there.
Still, don’t panic. “It is relatively common to pass foamy urine every so often,” says Priya Padmanabhan, M.D., a urologist at Corewell Health.
Meet the experts: David Kaufman, M.D., urologist and director of Central Park Urology; Courtenay Moore, M.D., a urologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Priya Padmanabhan, M.D., a urologist at Corewell Health
So, what could be behind your foamy urine and when should you contact a doctor? Here’s the deal.
Why is my urine foamy?
There are a few different reasons why you may be dealing with foamy urine, ranging from something being up with your toilet bowl to potentially serious health conditions. These are the biggies to have on your radar, according to urologists.
There are chemicals in the toilet bowl.
If the toilet you’re emptying your bladder into was recently cleaned, it could cause a foamy appearance in the bowl. “The most common explanation for foamy urine is urine mixing with residual toilet cleanser left in the bowl, resulting in a soapy foam production,” says David Kaufman, M.D., urologist and director of Central Park Urology. You might also get this if the toilet has an automatic cleaner.
You peed hard and fast.
When you really have to go, urine can come out fast—and that can look foamy in the toilet bowl. “A good, strong, full stream of urine hitting the water will often ‘bubble’ due to the force of the urine stream hitting the toilet water,” Dr. Kaufman says. “This is not a problem.”
Also worth noting: You might see some bubbling if you pee standing up, given that the urine can hit the bowl at a greater force than if you were sitting down.
You may have kidney disease or diabetes.
If you have foamy urine, it’s very likely due to peeing hard or having residual chemicals in the bowl. But in some cases, foamy urine can be a sign of an underlying health issue.
“Foamy urine is of concern when it is caused by excess albumin (protein) in the urine, which could be a sign of kidney disease, often related to diabetes,” Dr. Kaufman says. If you have foamy urine once or twice, this really shouldn’t be a huge concern. But if this is a consistent thing and you’re dealing with other symptoms like feeling more thirsty than usual, dealing with fatigue, having blurry vision, or unexpected weight loss, it may be worth flagging for your doctor.
You’re dehydrated.
Being dehydrated can also lead to excess protein in the urine, Dr. Padmanabhan says. However, she adds, this is temporary.
You recently treated a UTI.
Having a urinary tract infection (UTI) is uncomfortable enough, but you may also get a curveball in the form of foamy urine. Taking a medication like pyridium (Azo) can cause your urine to become foamy, Dr. Padmanabhan says. (It can also make your pee look orange, for what it’s worth.)
You may have lupus.
This is another thing that could lead to foamy urine, but is unlikely to be the only thing you experience. “The kidneys should filter protein out of the urine so, if you have foamy urine, the kidneys are not working normally,” says Courtenay Moore, M.D., a urologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. This could be a sign of lupus, she says.
However, if you had lupus, you’d likely have additional symptoms like fatigue, fever, joint pain, and a butterfly-shaped rash on your face across your cheeks and nose, per the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
You’ve been taking OTC pain medicine for a while.
Over-the-counter medications like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause you to have higher levels of protein in your pee. That’s why it’s generally not recommended that you take these for longer periods of time unless you’re under a doctor’s care.
When to contact a doctor about foamy urine
If you have foamy urine here and there, it’s likely no big deal. But “if the foamy urine is persistent or lasting for many days, then a doctor visit is warranted,” Dr. Padmanabhan says. That’s especially true if you have signs of kidney disease, like fatigue, swelling around eyes or extremities, or loss of appetite, she says.
Your doctor can run a very simple test on your urine to see if you have protein in there and, if so, how much, Dr. Moore says. “If this does show proteinuria—protein in the urine—your doctor may want to confirm that this effect is consistent, and they will recommend a 24-hour urine test,” she says. This test requires you to collect all the urine you produce during the day, by the way.
Again, if you randomly notice things are looking foamy in the toilet bowl, don’t panic—there’s likely a very simple explanation for it. But if foamy pee is a regular thing for you, it’s worth flagging it to your doctor.
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