Pregnancy and UTI’s
Do: Make sure you get enough folic acid, drink lots of fluids, eat plenty of veggies.
Dont: Eat certain fish, dye your hair, change your cat’s litter box.
A pregnant woman is bombarded with advice coming from all angles; whether the advice is accurate or not, it’s hard for women to not only keep track of the advice but also prioritize it. One aspect of a pregnant woman’s health that needs to be especially monitored is her urinating habits. A woman may mistake her constant need to urinate or burning as typical pregnancy symptoms however these symptoms could be symptoms of a urinary tract infection.
A pregnant woman is often at risk for developing a UTI because of the changes in her urinary tract. As the uterus grows, the increased weight can block the uterus from draining from the bladder which can ultimately lead to an infection. Also, that bulging belly makes it hard to wipe after urinating leading to less than par hygiene.
While the early phases of a UTI are very treatable for a pregnant woman, the infections can become very serious if it spreads to the upper urinary tract as it results in kidney problems. Kidney infections can negatively affect the development of the baby and potentially speed up childbirth resulting in low birth weights.
So what should pregnant women look our for? Well, basically the same symptoms that a woman who is not pregnant should look out for:
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- Pain or burning (discomfort) when urinating
- The need to urinate more often than usual with a feeling of urgency to urinate
- Blood or mucus in the urine
- Cramps or pain in the lower abdomen
- Chills, fever, sweats, leaking of urine (incontinence)
- Waking up from sleep to urinate
- Change in amount of urine, either more or less
- Urine that looks cloudy, smells foul or unusually strong
- Pain, pressure, or tenderness in the area of the bladder
If a pregnant woman suspects anything is out of the ordinary she should contact her physician immediatley so she can get a uralysis. It is pertienent that a UTI in a pregnant woman is diagnosed as soon as psossible to prevent the infection from spreading to her kidneys!
While it may seem simple, pregnant women should add two more very important Do’s to their ongoing list:
Do: pay close attention to urination and Do: drink plenty of fluids including cranberry products to help prevent UTI’s
Sources:
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/utiduringpreg.html
