We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about how the colour of your pee can indicate health issues.
And it turns out that your urine’s consistency can reveal serious kidney trouble, too.
Though the occasional appearance of bubbles or froth in your toilet bowl after peeing can simply come from peeing very quickly or being dehydrated, it can also belie protein in your pee.
This is a sign of kidney problems.
How can I spot it?
“Just as water foams up when it comes out of the tap quickly, urine foams if it hits the toilet quickly. This kind of foam should also clear up quickly,” Healthline explains.
But “foamy urine is more likely to be a sign of disease if it happens often or it gets worse over time.”
The NHS advises that those suffering from glomerulonephritis, a condition that affects the kidneys’ filters, may also notice the following alongside foamy urine:
- rashes
- joint pain
- stomach pain
- high temperature
- shortness of breath
- yellowing of the whites of the eyes or the skin, although this may be less noticeable on brown or black skin (jaundice)
- peeing a lot less than usual
- tiredness
- loss of appetite and weight loss.
Other signs that your foamy pee comes from a medical kidney issue include:
- swelling in your hands, feet, face, and abdomen, which could be a sign of fluid buildup from damaged kidneys
- fatigue
- a loss of appetite
- nausea
- vomiting
- trouble sleeping
- changes in the amount of urine you produce
- cloudy urine
- darker colored urine
- if you have a penis, dry orgasms or releasing little to no semen during orgasm
- if you have a penis, infertility or having difficulty getting a partner pregnant
What if I notice foamy urine?
You should seek medical help immediately if it’s ongoing, as “usually, this symptom appears late in kidney disease, so immediate treatment is important.”
However, a one-off incident may be harmless.
Risk factors of kidney conditions include diabetes, high blood pressure, nerve damage, and previous urethra or prostate surgery, and a family history of kidney disease.
Speak to your doctor if you have been having the problem for a while, are experiencing other symptoms, or are spotting blood or cloudiness in your pee.