Another case of bubbly/foamy urine

[Scooter5052]

Hi. I am 22 and generally healthy. Since fall of 2007, though, I have had bubbly/foamy urine on a pretty regular basis. Also, sometimes I only urinate a little bit of liquid, though that seems consistent with my intake of fluid.

When this first began happening, I went and saw my doctor. He did a dipstick test, said it had tested positive for protein (and didn't get into specifics), but said something about that not always being right. The only other thing he did was schedule a kidney ultrasound for me. The ultrasound was normal.

A few months into 2008, I saw another doctor, who actually had my urine sent out for urinanalysis. He said that no protein was traced at all and that the related blood work he had sent for (including kidney function) was all fine. He told me not to worry unless I have other concerning symptoms.

The bubble/foam problem still persists today and I am wondering if there are ever any cases where this just happens and doesn't mean anything. The fact that the ultrasound and more recent tests came back clean seems encouraging to me, but since the bubbles/foam have not gone away, I'm wondering if I should be looking into this further.

Thank you for your help. I appreciate everything that the doctors and nurses on this site do to help people.

[Dr. Chan Lowe]

Hi Scooter5052,

Foamy urine is often a sign that there is protein in the urine. If this is persisting I would recommend that you see your doctor again for a repeat urinalysis to look for protein. Protein spilling can be intermittent. If, by chance, the formal urinalysis simply missed the protein spilling, a repeat may help determine if protein is present.

If there is still concern, seeing a nephrologist may be helpful.

Best wishes.