When you go to the bathroom, you probably don’t notice what your pee looks or smells like most of the time.
Normally, our urine is made up of 95% pure water and 5% other compounds. Most of the time, “normal” urine is odorless if you are healthy and well hydrated. Additionally, urine is often a light yellow color, similar to lemonade. (If it’s clear, you may be drinking too much water.)
However, when something is going on, odors may start to appear and the pee may change color. Here are some changes that may warrant a visit to the doctor’s office:
Pee with a sweet or fruity scent
If your pee smells sweet or fruity, this could be a sign that something is up and you want to see a doctor.
“Diabetes is a condition in which the body is unable to transfer sugar to cells and therefore excess sugar remains in the bloodstream,” said Dr. Katherine Klos, a board-certified urologist and Uqora medical advisor. “Excess sugar eventually makes its way into the urine, causing an increase in urine volume along with a characteristic sweet aroma.”
In addition to the sweet smell, you may also notice more frequent trips to the bathroom, which could also be a sign of diabetes.
An ammonia scent
You may be familiar with the smell of ammonia from cleaning products or smelling salts. If your pee starts to smell like ammonia, this may be a cause for concern.
“If urine becomes highly concentrated, a high level of waste with minimal water, it can have a strong ammonia odor,” he said. Dr Laurence Orbuchmedical director of GYN Laparoscopic Associates in Los Angeles.
Dr. Jodie Horton, chief wellness advisor at Love Wellbeing, also noted that pee that smells like ammonia may indicate liver disease. If this is happening to you, make an appointment with your doctor.
A smell similar to rotten eggs
No one likes the smell of rotten eggs, and if your pee smells like them, that could be a warning sign.
“The smell of rotten eggs can usually be attributed to E. coli due to its production of hydrogen sulfide,” said Klos.
More commonly, though, the rotten egg smell can also be caused by “certain antibiotics that contain sulfa,” Horton added. If you are taking certain antibiotics or have recently stopped taking them, consider this as a possible cause.
Pee, that’s red
When you’re not on your period and your pee is red, first think about what you ate: Foods like beets, blackberries, and rhubarb have the potential to turn your urine a reddish-pink color.
If this is not the case, consider calling your doctor. “Red can indicate that there is blood in your urine or that you have kidney stones,” Horton said.
Blue and green urine
Unless you’ve ingested some blue or green food coloring recently, you’ll want to see a doctor if your pee looks like Gatorade or a sports drink. “Green and blue urine could indicate some type of bacterial infection,” Horton said.
Orange urine
When was the last time you drank water? Dehydration is the main cause of orange urine, which can usually be corrected with a few glasses of water. However, if your stool is light brown in addition to your orange urine, this could be a sign of bile duct problemthat you want to be examined by a medical professional.
Some other points to consider before panicking:
Peeing with an odor is not always a cause for concern. In many cases, it could be due to something in your diet. Asparagus is a common cause, for example.
“Asparagus contains an acid that causes a strong sulfur smell in pee,” said Dr. Emily Von Bargen, a urogynecologist at Cheeky Bonsai. “Fish, onions, garlic, Brussels sprouts, coffee and foods containing curry can also cause a noticeable change in aroma.” If the unpleasant smell is coming from food, it should usually go away within a day or two, she added.
Additionally, there are daily habits and factors that can affect the smell and appearance of pee that are not indicative of an underlying problem. “Think about the most common factors that can give your urine a new smell: hydration status, diet, supplements and vitamins, and hygiene products,” Klos said. Additionally, holding pee for too long can produce an unpleasant odor.
In general, if the smell or color doesn’t return to normal soon, Orbuch recommends seeing your doctor for a formal exam. It will likely consist of diagnostic testing to determine the root cause of the odor and/or color change.This article originally appeared on HuffPost.