What color should your pee be?

It might not be something we talk about, but everyone now and then has peeked into the toilet and wondered if their urine looks the way it should.

“It’s a normal question to ask, and the short answer is that the color usually isn’t much cause for concern,” said Melanie Greenan, MD, a Hyannis kidney specialist.

Dr. Greenan described the kidneys as the main filters of the body.

“There are some very complex mechanisms to keep everything in good balance in the body,” she said. “The kidneys get rid of the waste and any extra water that we take in.

“I often get asked, how much urine should I make? If someone is making no urine, that's a problem. The amount you make will vary depending on how much waste your kidneys need to get rid of and how much extra water they need to get rid of.”

What most people want to know is how much fluid they should be drinking, she said. “I tell them that if they’re well hydrated, their pee will be more clear than apple juice-colored. That’s what we’re aiming for.”

There is cause for concern if you produce reddish urine, indicating blood in the urine, or dark brown urine, as that could indicate serious kidney issues.

“The only big problems are cranberry-juice colored or Coca-Cola colored,” she said. “That's not normal and you should tell a doctor if you see that. Any other shade just represents how much water your kidneys are getting rid of and how diluted it is. There are a lot of different colors of yellow and yellowish brown.”

Shades of Yellow

Pale straw to dark yellow is considered normal, and if your urine is almost colorless, then you’re drinking plenty of water, maybe more than you need, said Dr. Greenan.

Some medications can affect the color of urine, she noted. Talk to your physician if you have concerns.

Cloudy urine is something to keep an eye on, she said, as it can indicate an infection. It also can occur when someone is prone to kidney stones.

“Sometimes they pass tiny bits of gravel without it being full-fledged stones, and there can be some cloudiness from that,” she said.

Odor and Pain

Another situation for which a chat with you doctor is indicated is foamy urine, which can be a sign of excess protein in your urine. It also can occur when an enlarged prostate requires you to generate extra force to get the urine out and there’s more turbulence as it hits the toilet, she said. “When it looks like sea foam and doesn’t go away when you flush, that could represent a real problem,” she said.

As for odor, a strong smell usually indicates that the urine is concentrated, and you should drink more water. Eating asparagus can produce an odd smell in your urine, but “really funky-smelling urine could indicate an infection,” she said.

There should never be pain with urination. Pain could indicate an infection or a kidney stone trying to work its way out. Women may experience pain because of a yeast infection or may have delicate tissues after menopause.

As an overall rule, Dr. Greenan said, if you have concerns, check with your doctor.