What Causes White Particles in Urine?

Seeing white particles in your urine can be an alarming experience. After all, it’s not something you see every day.

This symptom can be caused by many things. For example, it can be the result of parasitic infections, UTIs, or kidney disorders.

In this article, we’ll talk about what might be causing your scary symptom.

The Urinary System

Firstly, let’s talk about the urinary system. This will help you understand what’s causing the white particles in your urine.

The urinary system has one job: to filter out waste from the blood. The filtering process begins at the kidneys.

Here, toxic waste is filtered out while important molecules are kept inside the blood.

The waste moves down the ureter and into the bladder. From here, it’s excreted through the urethra.

If you’re seeing white particles in urine, then something is going wrong in the urinary process.

Bottom Line: The urinary system filters out toxic materials from the blood. The kidneys do the bulk of the work.

Urinary Tract Infections

A UTI is an infection the urinary tract. It’s normally caused by bacteria that go up the urethra.

Therefore, it’s important to keep your genital area clean (especially the ladies!).

Aside from white particles in urine, a UTI can cause other unpleasant symptoms. These include:

Bladder pain
Muscle spasms
Burning when peeing
Cloudy urine

In more serious cases, it can lead to fever, nausea, vomiting, and more.

You should get it diagnosed by a doctor as soon as possible. Why? Because you don’t want it to spread to your kidneys.

While this is rare, it can happen. Kidney infections are a serious matter that can cause death.

So, if you see white particles in your urine, consider the possibility of a urinary tract infection.

Bottom Line: The white stuff that you see in your pee could be the result of a urinary tract infection (UTI).

Kidney Stones

Another possibility is kidney stones. A kidney stone is basically a hard mineral that’s formed within the kidneys.

When people say they’re “passing a kidney stone”, it means that its coming out of their body in the urine.

Passing a kidney stone can be quite painful, and can lead to white particles in the urine.

A picture of kidney stones

The most common risk factors for kidney stones include:

Family History: If you have a family history of kidney stones, then you’re more likely to develop them yourself. Unfortunately, you have no control over this risk factor.
Dehydration: If you don’t drink enough water throughout the day, then there’s a higher chance you’ll develop kidney stones. Try to drink 6-8 glasses of water per day.
High-Protein Diets: If you’re consuming a lot of protein, then kidney stones are more likely to form. Stick to 0.5 grams of protein per day for every 1 pound of body weight.
Obesity: Finally, if you’re obese, then you’re more likely to see white particles in the urine. Having a BMI has been linked to increased risk of kidney stones.

The good news? Most of these risk factors are within your control (except for the first one).

You can’t control your family history. However, you can lose weight, drink more water, and eat less protein.

Bottom Line: The white granules in your urine could be due to kidney stones. Kidney stones are hard deposits formed in the kidneys.

White Particles in Urine and Yeast Infections

All women have a small amount of yeast in their vaginal tract. That’s normal and doesn’t cause any damage.

However, when the yeast grow out of control, it can lead to white particles in urine.

What causes yeast infections? A common cause is changes in pH.

Symptoms include increased vaginal discharge, white discharge, and a burning or itching sensation. In some cases, the vaginal area may turn red.

Various medications can be used to effectively treat yeast infections and get rid of the white particles in your urine.

Here’s a video that talks about yeast infections in greater detail:

Parasitic Infections

Another thing to watch out for are parasitic infections. A parasite is an organism that requires a host to survive.

They can lead to the increased production of mucus threads in your urine.

Parasites are the reason you should be wary of entering fresh water (lakes, streams, etc.). Here, parasites can go up your urethra and cause an infection.

If the white particles in urine are being caused by a parasite, talk to your doctor.

They can give you the appropriate medications for killing the parasite.

Bottom Line: A parasite is an organism that needs a host to survive and replicate. They can form white mucus threads in your pee.

Retrograde Ejaculation

The term retrograde ejaculation is one you probably haven’t heard before.

Basically, it’s when semen goes into the bladder rather than out of the penis during ejaculation.

While it doesn’t cause any pain, it can cause white granules to appear in your pee.

Retrograde ejaculation is most common in men who’ve had prostate surgery.

It can also be a clue that your upper sphincter muscles of the urinary tract aren’t working properly.

If during ejaculation you don’t notice any semen coming out, it could be due to this condition.

Bottom Line: The white particles in your urine could be old semen residues that didn’t come out during ejaculation.

What Now?

How long should you wait before seeing a doctor? It depends on whether you have accompanying symptoms.

For example, if you have bladder pain or if it burns when you pee, this is a sign of an infection.

In this case, you should make an appointment with your doctor.

If you have no other uncomfortable symptoms, then it’s likely a benign issue that should go away on its own.