What does it mean if you have a constant urge to pee?

If you have a constant urge to pee , this could be a sign of an underlying medication condition. Some of the more common causes include: UTI Diabetes Overactive bladder Pelvic organ prolapse Constipation Enlarged prostate

What Does It Mean When Your Urine Is Clear?

Key takeaways:

Clear pee is most often a result of drinking a lot of water. But, in some cases, it can be a sign of an underlying health condition.
Beyond being well hydrated, the most common causes of clear urine include kidney issues, diabetes, and medications.
There are other symptoms that can help you know when to see a healthcare professional. They can run some quick and easy tests to figure out why your pee is clear.

It’s common to take a look in the toilet after you pee. Many people are curious about the color of their urine — and what it means about their health. And some people aim to have colorless or clear pee to know they’re hydrated.

But is clear pee always a good thing? In some cases, it can be a sign of an undiagnosed medical condition. We’re here to help you know when to head to your doctor’s office to be sure it isn’t anything more serious.

Is clear urine always a good thing?

In most cases, clear urine is a sign that you’re well hydrated. And that’s a good thing, because good hydration helps your body work at its best.

But, in some cases, clear pee may mean that you’re drinking too much water and you’re too hydrated. Although this is rare, overhydration can disrupt the level of salts in your body, like sodium. And this can be more serious than you think.

Overhydration can lead to severe fatigue, confusion, and seizures. In rare cases, it can lead to a coma (more on this later).

But clear urine doesn’t always mean you’re well hydrated — or too hydrated. It can also be a sign of an underlying health condition.

What are the most common causes of clear urine?

The most common cause of clear urine is drinking large amounts of water. But a few medical conditions can also lead to clear pee, including:

Diabetes: People with diabetes often have too much sugar (glucose) in their blood. To get rid of the extra glucose, the body moves it from the blood into the urine. So, when someone has undiagnosed or untreated diabetes, they tend to pee more often. And their urine looks clear.
Diuretic medications: Diuretics are sometimes called “water pills” because they help remove extra fluid from the body. People take them to treat high blood pressure, leg swelling, heart failure, and other medical conditions. Diuretics work by increasing urine volume. This can dilute the urine and make it look clear.
Kidney issues: The kidneys filter the blood and balance fluid in the body. And some kidney conditions affect the kidney’s ability to make or concentrate the urine. This can change how much you pee, and peeing more (or less) can affect urine color.
Diabetes insipidus: Despite the name, this isn’t related to diabetes. This is a rare condition that develops when the kidney can’t respond to the hormones that help balance water in the body. This means the kidneys expel a lot more water than normal.

Can clear urine be a sign of pregnancy?

The body goes through a lot of changes during pregnancy. While clear urine isn’t a sign of pregnancy, it can point to a potential problem related to pregnancy. Some people develop gestational diabetes insipidus in the second or third trimesters of pregnancy. Their placenta makes protein that destroys the hormone that helps maintain the body’s water balance. This condition generally resolves after pregnancy.

EXPERT PICKS: WHAT TO READ NEXT

Urine color and medications: These medications can change the color of your urine. Learn what to expect when you start a new medication.
How much water you need: Here’s how much water you need per day — and what makes your specific needs unique.
Why your pee smells: From foods and medications to dehydration, many things can make your urine smell differently. Learn the common causes.

Keep in mind that the only way to know for sure if you’re pregnant is to take a pregnancy test. If you get a positive urine pregnancy test at home, it’s a good idea to make an appointment with a specialist in women’s health or OB-GYN.

What color should healthy pee be in the morning?

Healthy pee — in the morning or any time of the day — should be light in color but not completely clear. A pale yellow or straw color typically means that the kidneys are working well and that you’re properly hydrated.

What do other colors of urine say about your health?

Urine color can change based on your level of hydration. But there are a lot of things that can affect the color of urine — like certain foods, medications, or other health conditions. When it comes to health-related matters, certain colors can mean different things:

Brown: Brown urine may mean that there’s an underlying issue with the kidneys, liver, or even the muscles. Blood in the urine can also look brown.
Black: The conditions listed just above can also make the urine so dark it almost looks black, like cola. Rhabdomyolysis in particular can do this. It’s a problem that happens when you have a large amount of muscle breakdown.
Red: Blood in the urine can also look brown, red, or pink in color. It might mean that you have a urinary tract infection (UTI), kidney stones, or other kidney or bladder problems. And red and purple foods, like beets, can give your urine a red hue if you eat enough of them.
Orange: Orange urine may signal an underlying condition in the liver or bile duct. Some medications can also cause this, such as phenazopyridine, rifampin, sulfasalazine, and doxorubicin.
Neon yellow: Some of the medications listed just above, like phenazopyridine, make the urine look more bright yellow than orange. A more common cause of neon yellow urine is B vitamin supplements.
Green: Green urine, similar to orange urine, can mean there’s a problem with the bile ducts. Rare types of UTIs can do this too.

What does it mean when your urine is cloudy or foamy?

Cloudy urine refers to urine that looks hazy, foggy, or even milky. Instead of looking transparent and clear, it may appear thicker than normal. A few different things can make your pee look cloudy:

UTI
Sexually transmitted infection (STI), such as chlamydia or gonorrhea
Kidney stones
Diet high in purine-rich foods (like shellfish, red meat, and organ meats)

If your urine looks more foamy than cloudy, this could be due to excess protein in the urine. This can be a sign of kidney damage or a kidney condition, so it’s a good idea to see a healthcare professional when it happens. Keep in mind, though, that sometimes rapid urination can naturally create some bubbles in the urine.

If you notice that your urine is cloudy or foamy for more than 1 or 2 days, it’s best to visit a healthcare professional.

When should you visit a doctor’s office about clear urine?

If you notice that your pee is clear — and you’re also trying to drink lots of water — this is probably the cause. It may help if you follow the recommended amount of water intake:

Adult men need about 3.7 L (125 oz) of water a day.
Adult women need about 2.7 L (91 oz) of water a day.

But if you’re drinking a normal amount of water and your pee is completely clear — especially for longer than 2 days — talk with a healthcare professional.

It’s also not normal to experience excessive thirst or to feel an endless urge to drink water. Get medical attention right away if you also experience:

Fever
Burning with urination
Back, abdominal, or side pain
General muscle aches
Loss of appetite
Persistent vomiting or diarrhea
Weakness or fatigue
Disorientation or trouble concentrating
Headaches
Blurred vision

How do you test clear urine?

A healthcare professional can run an easy test of your urine to help figure out what may be going on. But they may need more than a urine sample to figure it out. They may also want to test your blood sugar and do a blood test to measure your electrolytes.

Although less common, they may also recommend imaging tests, like ultrasounds or CT scans, to get a picture of the kidneys and the urinary tract.

Frequently asked questions

If you have a constant urge to pee, this could be a sign of an underlying medication condition. Some of the more common causes include:

UTI
Diabetes
Overactive bladder
Pelvic organ prolapse
Constipation
Enlarged prostate

If you have clear urine but you aren’t drinking a lot of water, this makes it more likely you may have one of the conditions discussed in the above article. It’s best to see a healthcare professional to test for conditions like diabetes or kidney issues.

Declining kidney function or kidney failure may or may not cause notable changes in the color of your urine. If it does cause changes, your urine may look darker, like an amber or brown color. You may also notice a significant decrease in the amount of urine you produce.

It’s common for vitamins — especially B vitamins — to cause bright or neon yellow urine. This is because B vitamins are water-soluble. This means that when you have excess amounts of the vitamin in your body, your kidneys remove it from the blood and you pee it out. This isn’t harmful. But it may be a sign that you’re taking a higher dose of supplements than you need.

If you think you may have a vitamin deficiency, talk to your healthcare team. Many vitamin deficiencies can easily be detected with blood tests, and this can help you figure out which vitamins you need to take — if any.

The bottom line

Clear pee generally means that you’re well hydrated. But it’s possible to hydrate too much, and this can cause some health risks. So, it’s best to stay within the range of the recommended daily amount of water intake.

See a healthcare professional if you’re experiencing excessive thirst, any new pain in your body, or significant changes in your appetite or energy level. They can run some easy tests to figure out if a medical condition is the cause.

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Written by:

Cherilyn Davis, MD

Cherilyn Davis, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician in NYC. She's held local and national roles at the American Medical Women's Association, including board member of the physician division and physician chair of social media.

Edited by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

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