What usually happens next
A plant-heavy diet, citrus, and the hour or two after a meal make urine more alkaline.
If nitrite or leukocytes are also positive, some urinary infections push the pH up, and that's what your doctor will look at.
When a urine pH can read wrong
Urine pH changes with your last meal, and a sample left standing for more than an hour or two drifts alkaline. A first-morning sample is usually the most acidic of the day.
Read it with
- Urine pH, explained in full
- Urine specific gravity
- Urine nitrite
- Leukocyte esterase
- Urinalysis, explained
- Gout
Nearby results

Questions
Is a urine pH of 7.5 normal?
The usual range is 4.5 to 8.0. Inside it, the number mostly reflects what you ate and drank; it's read with the rest of the urinalysis.
Does drinking water change urine pH?
Water dilutes urine but barely moves its pH; diet does more, with meat and protein making it more acidic and fruit and vegetables more alkaline.
Worked out by LifeFrom from the usual urinalysis ranges (American Family Physician), and not yet reviewed by a clinician. For your own understanding: only a lab test, read by your clinician, diagnoses anything.