Urine is usually clear and light yellow in color, but cloudy urine may be hazy or milky looking.
Dehydration, an infection, and certain health conditions can all cause cloudy urine (pee).
It may also be the result of other bodily fluids, such as blood, mixing with the urine.
Illustration by Tara Anand for Verywell Health
It may be a symptom of a health condition that requires treatment.
The urinary tract includes the urethra, bladder, and kidneys, but most UTIs happen in the bladder.
Cloudy urine may be a sign of a UTI.
Other symptoms include:
Kidney Stones
Cloudy, foul-smelling urine can be a sign of kidney stones.
Kidney stones are hardened mineral and salt deposits.
They usually don’t cause symptoms unless they start moving out of the kidney and into the urinary tract.
This discharge can get into urine, and make it appear cloudy.
Vaginitis
Vaginitisdescribes any inflammatory condition and infection that impacts the vagina.
Various vaginitis conditionssuch as yeast infection and bacterial vaginosiscan cause vaginal discharge that may make your urine cloudy.
In fact, urinating more frequently and cloudy urine can be earlysigns of diabetes.
A simple test called aurinalysiscan analyze urine for signs of infection, diabetes, and kidney problems.
The presence of protein, blood, or semen can also cause urine to look cloudy.
In many cases, the cloudiness clears up on its own.
However, you should see your healthcare provider if you experience cloudy pee along with any other symptoms.
Belasco R, Edwards T, Munoz AJ, Rayo V, Buono MJ.
TheEffect of Hydration on Urine Color Objectively Evaluated in CIE Lab* Color Space.
2020 Oct 26;7:576974. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2020.576974.
PMID: 33195369; PMCID: PMC7649145.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Urinary Tract Infection Basics.
Chu CM, Lowder JL.Diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infections across age groups.Am J Obstet Gynecol.
2018;2018:3068365. doi:10.1155/2018/3068365
National Library of Medicine: Medline Plus.Vaginitis.
Paladine HL, Desai UA.Vaginitis: Diagnosis and treatment.Am Fam Physician.
2018;97(5):321-329.
National Library of Medicine: Medline Plus.Urine: Abnormal Color.
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.Protein in urine (proteinuria).
National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Preeclempsia.
National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Urinalysis.
