Let’s face it: Most of us don't give much thought to our pee before we flush it out of sight. But the basic details of your urine — color, smell, and how often you go — can give you a hint about what’s going on inside your body.

Pee is your body’s liquid waste, mainly made of water, salt, electrolytes such as potassium and phosphorus, and chemicals called urea and uric acid. Your kidneys make it when they filter toxins and other bad stuff from your blood. Many things, such as medications, foods, and illnesses, can affect your pee.

Urine Color Chart

Urine Colors and What They Mean

The color of your urine can change depending on things like what you eat, what medicines you take, and how much water you drink. The color can range from light to dark. Most color changes are harmless, but some may indicate health issues. If you notice unusual colors, contact your doctor right away.

Pale/amber urine

If everything is normal and healthy, your pee should be pale yellow to golden. That hue comes from urochrome, which is a waste product from hemoglobin. 

Clear urine

If your pee has no color at all, that may be because you’ve been drinking too much water. Drinking too much water can flush all of the electrolytes from your body, especially sodium, and can create all types of problems in your body, including pressure on your brain. It's known as water intoxication or water poisoning, and it can be fatal. If your kidneys function properly, it's hard to drink yourself into water intoxication. Let your thirst tell you when and how much to drink.

Dark yellow urine

Very dark yellow urine could be a sign that you’re dehydrated and just need to get more fluids.

Orange urine

When your pee is tinged orange, it could be caused by one of several things:

• You could be dehydrated.
• It could indicate a problem with your liver or bile duct.
• Blood in your urine can turn it dark orange.
• Certain medications can turn your pee orange, including high doses of vitamin B2, phenazopyridine — a drug for urinary tract infections (UTIs), or the antibiotic isoniazid.

Talk to your doctor if your pee is orange.

Pink or red urine

Eating foods such as blackberries, beets, and rhubarb can turn your pee a pinkish-red color. But certain medications, such as the antibiotic rifampin (Rifadin), the UTI drug phenazopyridine (Pyridium), laxatives that contain senna, and certain cancer drugs like anthracyclines can also turn your pee pink or red. 

Pink or red pee could also indicate blood in your urine. It doesn’t always mean there’s a problem, but it can be a sign of kidney disease, a UTI, prostate problems, or a tumor. Always check with your doctor if your pee is pink or red.

Green urine

Green (or blue) urine is pretty rare, and the color is probably caused by dyes in food or medicines you've taken. Medicines that can turn your pee green or bluish-green include amitriptyline (Elavil),  cimetidine (Tagamet HB), triamterene (Dyrenium), and promethazine (Phenergan). A few rare medical conditions can also turn your pee green, including familial benign hypercalcemia. Contact your doctor if you have green pee that doesn't go away.

Milky urine

Milky or cloudy pee is usually not much of a concern but it could signal a health condition, such as highly alkaline urine, kidney problems, or an STD. But milky urine also could just mean you're dehydrated or you've been eating a lot of fruits and vegetables. Talk to your doctor if you're worried about having cloudy pee.

Foamy urine

No matter what color your pee is, talk to your doctor if it consistently looks foamy and frothy. It may indicate protein in your urine, which may suggest kidney issues.

Urine color changes in early pregnancy

When you're pregnant, your pee can change color depending on several things, including your hormones, diet, and hydration. If you don't drink enough water, your pee can turn dark in color. The hormone hCG, which is produced by your placenta, also can slightly darken your pee's color. If your pee looks pink or red, that could be a sign of a UTI or kidney infection. Talk to your doctor right away if you have an abnormal urine color or if your pee is pink or red while you're pregnant.

Different Urine Smells and What They Mean

Pee doesn't usually have a strong smell. But some foods and supplements can change the odor. If you catch a whiff of something really strong before you flush, it might also be a sign of a UTI, diabetes, a bladder infection, or a metabolic disease.

Sweet smelling urine

Several things can make your pee smell sweet, including a UTI, high blood sugar, or uncontrolled diabetes. If you notice your pee suddenly smells sweet, call your doctor right away for a urinalysis. The sweet smell could be from chemicals in your pee that your body is getting rid of, such as bacteria, glucose, or amino acids. Your doctor will need to find out the cause to treat it.

Sulfur smell in urine

Eating asparagus will make your pee smell like sulfur. That's because your body converts asparagusic acid into sulfur-containing chemicals, which you end up peeing out. But a few other things, such as dehydration, vitamin B supplements, and some medications, can cause your pee to have a sulfur smell. Rare conditions such as hypermethioninemia (too much amino acid methionine in your blood), liver problems, and bladder problems might also create a sulfur smell in your urine.

Ammonia smell in urine

When you're dehydrated, your pee gets very concentrated and can be foul-smelling like ammonia. But it could also be a sign of a UTI, kidney stones, liver disease, some STDs, prostate infection, or even menopause.

Maple syrup urine odor

Urine that smells like maple syrup is caused by maple syrup urine disease (MSUD). It's a genetic metabolic disorder that prevents your body from properly breaking down three amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. When these amino acids build up in your body, they cause pee to smell like maple syrup. Symptoms usually show up before age 7. If you notice your child's pee smells like maple syrup, contact their doctor right away because MSUD can be life-threatening if left untreated.

How Often Should You Pee?

Everyone is different, but most people need to empty their bladders about seven to eight times a day. That number can change depending on how much you eat and drink or what medications you take. Pregnant women and older people usually have to pee more often.

If you notice you suddenly have to pee more than usual, it could be a sign of a health problem such as a UTI, kidney disease, diabetes, an enlarged prostate in men, vaginitis in women, or a problem with the wall of your bladder called interstitial cystitis.

If you often feel that you suddenly "gotta go" and sometimes can't get to the bathroom in time, you may have an overactive bladder. It’s a common condition for older men and women, though it's not a normal part of aging. Your doctor can tell you how to treat it with lifestyle changes and medications.

When to Call Your Doctor

Don't be afraid to contact your doctor any time you see an unusual change in your pee that isn't a side effect of medications. Call your doctor if the change lasts more than a day or so, or if you also have a fever, back or side pain, vomiting, excessive thirst, or unusual discharge. Your doctor can test your urine to see what's going on.

Takeaways

The color and smell of your pee can change because of several things, including your diet, water intake, medications, and how much you exercise. Most of these aren't reasons for concern, but sometimes, the color of your pee and how it smells could be a sign of a health problem. Talk to your doctor right away if you're concerned or if your pee's color doesn't return to the normal shade of yellow in a day or so.

Urine Color and Odor FAQs

Which urine color is abnormal? 

Urine should be pale yellow to golden in color. If your pee is pink or red, orange, blue, green, or brown, it could be a sign of a health problem, although urine changes color for many different reasons.

What is the urine color when the kidneys are failing?

Dark brown pee could be a sign that you have kidney disease or you have kidney failure.

What causes excessive urination?

Several health conditions can cause frequent urination, including diabetes, enlarged prostate, UTI, neurological issues, and certain medications. Pregnancy also can make you pee more often than normal.