White stuff floating in my urine, could I be pregnant?

We are normally used to the faint yellow or clear colour of urine anytime we pee. On some occasions, your urine might contain white stuff (whitish discharge) and this is not normal. It is not part of what we see regularly. You find yourself asking so many questions. Am I sick? Could I be pregnant? Or am I dying? 

There are so many reasons as to why your urine might contain a whitish discharge. Pregnancy, urinary tract infections, yeast infections are all some of the reasons why you see white stuff floating in your urine. 

Most of these causes are treatable but you should still seek medical advice just to make sure that it is not a sign of something more severe. 

Let’s take a look at the possible causes of whitish discharge in urine and how to manage them. 

What are the causes of whitish stuff in my urine?

Pregnancy 

There are a lot of hormonal changes during pregnancy which can cause whitish discharge to be in your urine (Also known as vaginal discharge). The discharge leaves your body by mixing with the urine making you see white stuff floating in your urine when you pee. 

This is something natural and one should not be worried about it. However, if you have a vaginal discharge that appears darker or the vaginal discharge comes with symptoms like itching and burning, you should see a doctor.

Also, any such discharges that become persistent over several days should be reported to a trained medical professional.

Retrograde ejaculation

This is a health condition that occurs when the muscle or sphincter that keeps semen from entering the bladder does not contract properly. This can cause the male to have an orgasm without ejaculating, as the semen goes into the bladder instead. 

After emptying the bladder, the man may notice stringy, white particles of semen floating in the urine. Retrograde ejaculation does not pose any direct health concerns, but infertility treatments may be necessary if a couple is trying to conceive.

Yeast infections 

Also called candidiasis or Candidal vulvovaginitis, a yeast infection is caused by fungus. This condition can cause inflammation, intense itchiness and a thick, white discharge from the vagina. 

The fungus Candida albicans is found naturally in healthy women but, in certain situations, it can grow rapidly in the vagina and cause an infection. 

The discharge released as a result of yeast infection can mix with the urine which can lead to you seeing white particles in your urine when you pee. 

A yeast infection can also cause other symptoms, such as redness and swelling around the vagina, itching or soreness, soreness or pain while urinating and pain during sex. Over-the-counter antifungal treatments to treat yeast infections are often recommended by doctors.

Bacterial vaginosis

Bacterial vaginosis is a condition caused by inflammation in the vagina as a result of an imbalance of bacteria. This can cause a variety of symptoms, including a foul or fishy odour and a burning sensation while urinating. 

Some women will also notice a thin, greyish-white discharge that may mix in with the urine and cause white particles to appear. 

Treatment for bacterial vaginosis varies but can include oral antibiotics or suppositories. Doctors also recommend taking probiotics after treatment to reintroduce beneficial bacteria to the vagina.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STIs)

Another cause of whitish stuff found in the urine after peeing is sexually transmitted disease. There are a lot of STIs and they are transmitted through oral, anal, or vaginal sexual contact, and the majority of them can cause changes in the urine. 

Trichomoniasis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea are all STIs that may cause genital discharge in both men and women. This discharge may appear as white particles in the urine or make the urine itself appear white or cloudy. 

Anyone who thinks they may have an STI should contact a doctor for a diagnosis and proper treatment. It is also best that you avoid sexual contact to avoid spreading the STI. 

Prostatitis 

It is a condition that refers to the inflammation of the prostate gland and can be caused by a bacterial infection near the gland. It can also cause discharge from the urethra that mixes with the urine. 

Men with prostatitis may have other symptoms, including; 

• difficulty or pain urinating
• chills or fever 
• pain in the lower back 
• throbbing or pain in the testicles 
• perineum or rectum, painful ejaculation, erectile dysfunction amongst others. Severe cases of bacterial prostatitis require antibiotics.

Kidney stones

When the levels of certain substances such as uric acid or calcium oxalate in the body become too much, it can lead to the formation of kidney stones. If the kidney stones are small enough, the body may expel them through the urine without a person noticing. 

They may appear as small white particles. Severe pain in the abdomen and other symptoms like feeling the need to urinate constantly, difficulty urinating, burning and pain during urination, pain radiating through the lower abdomen, pelvis, and groin, foul-smell, cloudy or bloody urine can be caused by kidney stones. Kidney stones can be passed with the help of over-the-counter pain medications.

The key takeaway from this article

Pregnancy is not only the reason you might find whitish stuff in your urine. Other factors like STIs, UTIs, yeast infections, etc. are some of the many factors that can also cause whitish stuff to be present in your urine.