If you’re seeing white particles or specks in your urine, you need to see a doctor.
“Your urine is usually clear and any debris, white specks or otherwise, is not a good thing and should get checked out,” says Michael D. Lutz, MD, board certified urologist with Corewell Health/Beaumont Hospital; President, MIU Men’s Health Foundation.
Causes of White Flecks or Specks in Your Urine
“The most common cause is a urinary tract infection and easy to determine by performing a urine dipstick test or microscopic urinalysis,” says Dr. Lutz.
“The other common cause of white specks would be phosphate or other crystals in the urine which is a sign of possible kidney stone formation.”
Kidney stones are made up of minerals and salts. Thus, it’s easy to understand how some of these constituents can make it into your urine stream, appearing as tiny white particles.
Treatment for kidney stones ranges from pain medication and drinking high amounts of water to pass the stones, to surgery.
Additional Symptoms of Kidney Stones
• Severe pain in the side and back, below your ribs
• The pain may radiate to the lower abdomen and groin
• Red, brown or pink urine (from blood)
• Urine may appear cloudy, but this is due to the white specks
• Frequent urination
• Nausea, vomiting
• Fever from infection
Dr. Lutz further explains, “Lastly, in men who have developed retrograde [declining] ejaculation either from prostate surgery, medications or underlying health conditions, will notice semen mixed with the urine which will appear with white flecks.”
Additional Causes of Seeing White Things in Your Urine
• Untreated yeast infection. A yeast infection, also known as candidiasis, is an overgrowth of a type of fungus called Candida.
It typically affects warm, moist areas of the body, like the mouth, throat and genital area.
• Untreated parasitic infection. A parasitic infection occurs when parasites invade the body and cause illness.
These infections can range from mild to severe and affect various parts of the body.
• And for women — use of estrogen vaginal cream (some of the cream may disseminate, causing tiny white particles of it to come out with urine flow).
Dr. Lutz is experienced in all areas of adult urology and has special interests in urological cancer, male fertility and urologic stone disease. Men’s Health Foundation
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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