Ammonia Smell in Urine and Menopause

Sometimes as a woman enters the "change of life", she will notice a funny odor when using the restroom. Interestingly, ammonia smell in urine and menopause actually has something in common, although not much. First, you have to remember that urine is about 96% water. The yellow color you see in urine is comprised of substances and the body and blood no longer need. This substance is what can tell doctors all types of things going on within the body, revealing hidden secrets about your health.

Okay, so where does the ammonia smell in urine come from during menopause. Well first, women will sometimes change diet during menopause and stop drinking adequate amounts of water. For instance, concerned with weight gain, women sometimes turn to vegetarian diets or diets with more vegetables. Those foods coupled with someone not drinking enough water and the urine will become more concentrated and yellow, occasionally giving off the ammonia smell. For this, you simply need to increase your intake of water consumption to help the body flush out all the unwanted toxins.

Now, an ammonia smell in urine during menopause could also be associated with the food you had for supper the night before, even if you have not made a major change in diet. Therefore, rather than panic thinking you have an infection of some kind, stop to look at what you ate. For example, asparagus produces a pungent odor that comes from leftover oxalates, which are chemicals that occur from the breakdown of certain acids in the body. Although not pleasant, keep in mind the odor is perfectly harmless and by the end of the day will pass.

Other things you want to watch for include cloudy/yellow urine, which means the presence of blood, fat droplets, or pus, often associated with a vegetarian diet. Smoky colored urine with a gray cast means remainders of yeast and old red blood cells. Red blood means blood that could be from a bladder infection, kidney infection, or more serious things such as cancer of the kidney or bladder. However, if you have recently eaten beets or taken laxatives with red food coloring, this too could be the culprit. Finally, if the urine is a dark brown color, hepatitis or liver disease might be suspected. While ammonia smell in urine and menopause may not always be associated with every color, there are times when you would notice a slight odor.

In addition to the ammonia smell in urine and menopause, you might notice other odors in urine that should be understood. For example, if urine takes on a fishy smell, then your ammonia level is much too high or you could be battling with a bladder infection. Another cause of the ammonia smell in urine during menopause is called vaginitis, which is an infection. Remember whether you have a bladder infection or vaginal infection, you can talk to your doctor and typically be given antibiotics and cream to help.

The important thing to keep in mind even when you notice an ammonia smell in your urine during menopause is that most often, nothing serious is going on. Urine in itself is a vital substance of the body. While you sleep at night, the body can use the flow of urine to carry decomposing products out of the body. By the kidneys being filtered, those unwanted substances are washed away. The most important thing is that if you notice a strong ammonia smell in urine during menopause and you have not eaten anything funny the night before, as well as increased your water consumption, you should talk to your doctor to have a urinalysis done. With this, you simple pee in cup so to speak so the urine can be examined closely under microscope. At that time, your doctor would be able to determine the cause of the urine and prescribe the appropriate medication or treatment.

The actual ammonia smell in urine noticed during menopause or any other time for that matter is caused by nitrogenous waters that are present. The ammonia smell can also come from bacteria being present in the urine, which causes a reduction in nitrate-to-nitrate. In this case, the odor would not occur until the bacterium has had four to five hours to cultivate. However, just as urine can have an offensive odor, it can also smell sweet or life fruit, often the case for people with diabetes or who have larger ketone body excretion. Typically, adult urine will have more of an odor than a child’s urine since adults consume more protein. Just remember that the ammonia smell in your urine during menopause is probably nothing but if you have any concern whatsoever, talk to your doctor.