Ammonia smelling urine in women

Introduction to Ammonia Smelling Urine

Urine is under normal circumstances a sterile liquid excreted by the kidneys. The body gets rid of many waste products via urine. This is a way of elimination of water-soluble chemicals. Normal urine has no smell and is yellow in color. The color ranges from light yellow to dark yellow depending on the concentration of chemicals normally excreted in the urine.

In case the odor of urine is intensive there is a chance of certain abnormalities and the person may be suffering from certain conditions. In such case the urine must be laboratory tested and concentration of all substances in the sample determined. Ammonia smelling urine can affect both women and men and the underlying cause of the specific smell must be properly identified.

Causes of Ammonia Smelling urine in Women

Definitely the most common cause of ammonia smelling urine in women is urinary tract infection. The infection can affect the bladder or even spread up to the kidneys. Women are more susceptible to urinary tract infection than men due to the specific anatomy of their urinary tract. In case of ammonia smelling urine and the presence of urinary infection the woman will apart from specific odor of the urine complain about the pain or discomfort during urination, uncontrollable and persistent urge to urinate and sometimes there are traces of blood in the urine.

In some cases urine may have specific smell of ammonia when a woman is perfectly healthy. Namely, in such cases the specific smell is related to consumption of certain foods. Food that contain nitrogen compounds (especially if consumed in large amounts) may be responsible for ammonia smelling urine. Protein rich foods such as meat, eggs etc are the main reason for increased excretion of ammonia in urine. Even insufficient intake of water that is related do dehydration leads to the production of small amounts of urine of specific odor (the result of increased concentration of the substances excreted via urine).

Ammonia smelling urine is reported more in women in menopause. The explanation is simple. Women in menopause go through specific hormonal changes and this may eventually influence the smell of urine and they are also more susceptible to urinary tract infections. Apart from menopausal pregnant women are also prone to urinary tract infection and they may also have problem with ammonia smelling urine. Pregnant women are also highly likely to develop dehydration due to reduced intake of water and other fluids hence the problem with smelling urine.

In some cases ammonia smelling urine in women may be associated with certain sexually transmitted diseases. Even certain metabolic diseases may be culprits of specific smell of the urine. And finally, intake of certain medications can lead to ammonia smelling urine in particular cases.

No matter what the cause is it must be identified on time and treated adequately. All women who notice the specific or intensive odor of urine are due to consult a doctor and he/ she will perform additional tests and determine the underlying cause of the problem.