Is 'wee' really sterile???

[Gomez]

Bad parent moment - DD2 (7 months) getting a bit fresh air so to speak on changing mat, has a wee all over clothes - doting parents don't notice. DD2 then proceeds to suck on wee covered clothes, probably for a fair

I am 99.9% certain there is no real problem but.......what if??

Reassurance please.

Mahatma Gandhi used to drink his own. Spiritual ritual in the east... don't think he got ill from it, anyway.
We throw the wee'd on nappies straight in the washing machine & they don't get mildew on them no matter how many days they're lurking in there.
I think it's pretty sterile... if whiffy!
It's poop you'd want to prevent them eating (they often manage to, anyway ). Carries more nasties, but if it's their own poop probably not going to catch anything they don't already have from eating it.

There, I'm going to bed, but beat that for bizarre post of the day, ladies.

Dh is microbiologist - he says urine from a healthy bladder is sterile: stop worrying!

Better wee than Sunny D!

hi gomez

its not 'sterile' as such but i wouldnt worry.

boring facts - there are bacteria etc in the ureter (urine tubes) but it is normal 'flora' to the body. if this flora (which is considered 'normal' only in the ureter) is transferred to a different part of the body which it does not normally live in, it can cause problems. this is more of a problem if it is flora from the bowel, ie poo, where e coli etc can live as 'normal flora'.

this is why you are supposed to wash your hands after going to the loo - because you are transferring what is in your bowel to your mouth.

does that make sense?

but if my baby peed on her clothes and then sucked it, i wouldnt be worrying at all

but mm's dh is probably more qualified than me to say so - sorry, crossed posts!

Ta! I KNEW I was being silly but it has been bugging me for the last hour or so.

Cheers.

Nailpolish, he was chunnering on at me for ages last night after he read your post! He said urine in a healthy bladder is sterile (so he was right) but that it can get bacteria and flora in it as it passes down the urethra. But that 90% of people have no flora and fauna ( I made the fauna bit up) in their urethras - or was it that 90% of people don't have it - or, I dunno anyway, wasn't really listening but gist of it was you are right too, and he's right and Gomez's dd will be fine which is what we all said anyway

mm ive just pmsl!

you are so funny.

after i posted it i sat for ages thinking 'wait a minute, is that right?' then went to post again but the computer crashed so i couldnt!

i know what he means, if you could extract the pee out of the bladder bypassing the urethra (did i say ureter? i always get them mixed up) then it would be sterile, but you dont, the pee passes down the urethra and onto outside skin (so to speak) so therefore isnt sterile.

will your dh be even more annoyed now?

without

what happened there

"mm ive just pmsl!"

Hope you're going to drink that up

well, i didnt even notice that tinker! lol

Here's a wee (pardon the pun) from the past which I am told is true!

Near the village where I grew up there is a pharmaceutical company. It employes a lot of people in the area.

Apparently they used to (perhaps still do) use urine in their beauty products because of the sterile and antibacterial nature of it. Once they ran out of supply and asked all their employees to go pee in a bucket and they used this. Have this on authority from someone who used to work there as she was one of those peeing in the bucket. This was back in the 60s.

Take with huge pinch of salt as it may be one of those urban myths but wondered if anyone had any thoughts, views, knowledge etc.

"better wee than Sunny D" LOVE IT!

Honestly, nailpolish, I just glaze over when he starts on one of his "I'm a genius and science is my life" diatribes. I've learned to say "mmm...really? ahhh" in an approving sort of tome while still reading MN and not really hearing a word he says.

MN crashed for me last night too - I still sat here for about an hour hoping it would come back!

Tinker - she's sucking it out of her clothes as we speak

Or even tone.

nasa, I thought that was rather good myself

copyright it mm, it's genius

Urea is that stuff for horned heels. Hope they emptied out the bucket after each use. Oooo, imagine it being full and touching...

mm i did wonder about how your evening had went - him droning on about piss and you distracted - how lovely that must have been!!!

The actress Sarah Miles drinks her own wee (but refuses to talk about it now as she has had the piss (taa daa!!) taken out of her so much about it in the past.
I've read that it's supposed to be good for your skin so pharm. thing makes sense. Also takes the sting out of nettles.

remember that episode of friends when joey peed on the jellyfish sting?!

Madonna pees on her feet in the shower - reckons it stops athlete's foot.

Which reminds me An independent sports shop has just opened here - mostly selling trainers, gym shoes etc., and it's called "The Athlete's Foot" Yeeaaackk! Makes my skin feel a bit crawly every time I walk past - hardly an inducement to go in and try their shoes on, is it?

I maen it's a bit like having a knicker shop and calling it "Pubic Lice"

It really is sterile. It begins to smell because it beaks down and releases amonia! There you go, science lesson finished.

Microbiologist here as well - yes it is sterile has the joy of analysing some at uni donated by the local hospital (we tested some from people with UTI infections and then some of our own as a control) I kid you not!!!

But sweetkitty - can't you get hepatitis from wee ?