It is not only the color, consistency and quantity of the urine that sometimes changes. The smell of the pee is also sometimes different than normal. For example, a number of patients experience urine that smells like coffee. This often indicates drinking too much coffee, but dehydration is also accompanied by a different urine odor reminiscent of coffee. In pregnant women, the coffee smell of urine also occurs at all stages of pregnancy. The coffee-smelling pee is generally not serious because it indicates that the kidneys are doing their best to remove the waste products through the urine. However, if one or more additional signs occur, it is wise to consult a doctor because there may be an underlying medical condition.

• Waste products in urine
• Causes of coffee smelling urine

• Drinking too much coffee
• Dehydration

• Urine odor and pregnancy

• Altered kidney function
• Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)
• Urinary tract infections
• Urinate more often
• Increased sense of smell

• Alarm signals for pee that smells like coffee

Waste products in urine

Healthy urine contains mainly water and is therefore pale and usually odorless. Waste products give urine its color, odor and appearance. The following factors may change the color, odor and appearance:

• hormones and other body chemicals
• medicines
• toxins or allergens that a patient has inhaled
• digested or metabolized substances from food and drinks

Causes of coffee smelling urine

Chest pain may occur with a caffeine overdose / Source: Pexels, Pixabay

Drinking too much coffee

Coffee contains more than a thousand chemicals that contribute to the taste, smell and appearance of urine. Polyphenols are responsible for the smell of coffee. The digestive tract absorbs these substances, breaks them down again after use and finally excretes some polyphenols through the urine. Drinking too much coffee therefore leads to a high concentration of polyphenols and other coffee compounds in the urine, which leads to a coffee odor. Coffee also contains caffeine, a stimulant. Caffeine increases urine production, causing the patient to suffer from dehydration more quickly. The pee is then more concentrated, so that it contains less water and more waste products than normal. A caffeine overdose also leads to a coffee odor in the urine. This is accompanied by the following possible complaints

• agitation (restlessness)
• fear
• vomit
• chronic insomnia
• an irregular heartbeat or fast heartbeat (tachycardia)
• hallucinations
• headache
• cramps
• nausea
• difficulty breathing
• chestpain
• confusion or disorientation

Drinking less coffee is recommended. Patients should opt for a maximum of four cups of coffee per day. Drinking more water is necessary for patients who drink more than four cups of coffee per day, so that the patient remains sufficiently hydrated.

Dehydration

When the body is dehydrated, urine is more concentrated. The odor is then stronger and the color is darker than healthy urine. When patients become dehydrated after drinking excessive amounts of coffee, or when they drink coffee while dehydrated, the urine often smells like coffee.Pregnant women experience a different urine odor that may smell like coffee / Source: PublicDomainPictures, Pixabay

Urine odor and pregnancy

In pregnant women, the urine odor is different, which is present at all stages of pregnancy. This results from frequent urinary tract infections, hormonal changes, or dehydration.

Altered kidney function

Many pregnant women experience altered kidney function. They excrete more nutrients and electrolytes in the urine, which changes the odor. This may lead to a coffee-smelling urine odor.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)

During the first few weeks of pregnancy, levels of the hormone hCG in a woman’s blood rise rapidly. Many women report that this changes the smell of the urine, such as a coffee smell.

Urinary tract infections

Bladder and urinary tract infections are common in many pregnant women, especially in weeks 6 to 24 of pregnancy. Pregnant women then experience the following possible symptoms:

• pain and burning sensation when urinating (dysuria)
• pain or cramps in the lower abdomen
• strong smelling urine (e.g. coffee
• smelly urine
• cloudy urine
• urinating more often (pollakisuria)

The bacteria that cause urinary tract infections spread to the kidneys and other places in the pelvic area if left untreated. Medical treatment is necessary for lower back pain, nausea, vomiting, chills or fever.

Urinate more often

The kidneys and bladder also change during pregnancy. The kidneys work half harder, which means that pregnant women have to urinate more often. Because they have to urinate more often, they become dehydrated more quickly.

Increased sense of smell

Women often smell better in the first trimester of pregnancy (hyperosmia). They also smell better the waste products in the urine, such as by-products of coffee.

Alarm signals for pee that smells like coffee

The patient visits a doctor when the coffee-smelling pee is accompanied by the following signs:

• vomit
• diarrhea
• an increase in the urge to urinate (urinary urgency)
• reduced urine production (oliguria)
• flu-like symptoms that last longer than two weeks
• fever
• cold shivers
• nausea
• pain in the lower back
• pain, burning sensation or discharge during urination
• swelling and pain in the lower abdomen

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