Are uti normal during pregnancy

UTIs during pregnancy are common and treatable | Your Pregnancy Matters

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Your Pregnancy Matters

September 20, 2021

Your Pregnancy Matters

Robyn Horsager-Boehrer, M. D. Obstetrics and Gynecology

A UTI during pregnancy is no cause for alarm – unless it’s left untreated. If you experience symptoms, tell your doctor right away. Drinking plenty of water during pregnancy can help prevent UTIs.

As you adjust to new changes in your body during pregnancy, it can be easy to overlook symptoms of everyday health conditions, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTIs are equally common in pregnant and non-pregnant patients and usually require medication to clear the infection.

But if left untreated during pregnancy, a UTI can progress to s serious infection that can lead to preterm labor, premature delivery, or even fetal loss.

UTIs occur when bacteria enter and grow in the urinary tract. During pregnancy, your bladder – which is in the lower part of your urinary tract – is less likely to empty entirely when you urinate, thanks to pressure from your expanding uterus and an increase in hormones that relax the muscles in your uterus. The longer urine stays in your body, the higher the chances that you’ll grow too much bacteria.

We watch for three types of UTIs during pregnancy:

Asymptomatic: Approximately 7% of pregnant women may have a UTI that doesn’t cause symptoms. An untreated asymptomatic infection has a 25% chance of advancing to the next level of UTI – your bladder and then your kidney.
Cystitis: Localized to the bladder, this infection will cause symptoms typically associated with UTIs, such as frequent but small amounts of urine, painful urination, and strong urges to urinate immediately.
Pyelonephritis: This kidney infection can lead to serious issues such as septic shock, anemia, excess lung fluid, and pre-term labor. It typically includes the symptoms of cystitis, plus nausea, fever, chills, and pain in your lower back and sides.

Because UTIs are prevalent during pregnancy, we request a urine sample to conduct a culture test as part of your prenatal care. The test looks for specific types of bacteria in your urine that can cause an infection.

We will likely test your urine multiple times throughout your pregnancy. But don’t assume we’re looking for a UTI every time; this is a common misconception. It’s important to talk with your doctor if you experience UTI symptoms to make sure you get the right test. The earlier we diagnose a UTI, the sooner we can treat you and prevent a more dangerous condition.

UTI treatment: What to expect

UTI treatments during pregnancy are safe and easy, usually involving a short course (3-7 days) of oral antibiotics. There are two exceptions:

If you continue to have UTIs after we treat the first one, we may recommend suppressive therapy. You will take a lower dose of antibiotics every day of your pregnancy instead of larger doses for just a few days.
If you have pyelonephritis (kidney infection), you will need to receive antibiotics through an IV at a hospital.

For most patients, receiving antibiotic treatment is much safer than risking a kidney infection. We will discuss all your health conditions and pregnancy symptoms to determine the best type of antibiotic for you, depending on what will work effectively against the bacteria in your urine.

Not all urine tests are the same

In the third trimester, we’ll likely test your urine for the presence of protein or glucose, which can indicate high blood pressure or gestational diabetes. Around this time, we also test urine for sexually transmittable diseases such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, which can be transferred to your baby.

Neither of these tests will tell us whether you have a UTI. If you’re experiencing UTI symptoms, please tell us so we can perform the appropriate test and begin treatment.

What increases or reduces risk of UTIs during pregnancy?

Women who have or carry the trait for sickle cell disease are at increased risk for UTIs. We test these patients monthly to ensure we detect an infection as soon as possible.

If you have diabetes, you’re also at a higher risk. We might not test you as frequently, but we will consistently look for symptoms. Both conditions make it harder for the body to fight infections.

Just as when you’re not pregnant, you can take specific actions to lower your chances of getting a UTI, such as:

Wiping front to back in the bathroom
Urinating before and after sex
Wearing cotton underwear
Avoiding tight and wet clothing
Drinking more water

Prepare for possible postpartum UTIs

In some cases, the risks of developing a UTI increase after you give birth.

Patients who have a C-section or receive an epidural during labor have a catheter inserted into their bladder. This ensures a safer delivery by keeping your bladder empty. But a catheter increases your risk of infection the longer it stays in your body, and its placement provides the perfect track for bacteria to enter your bladder.

To decrease your UTI risk, our goal is to remove your catheter no more than six to eight hours after surgery and even sooner after an epidural. An infection can take days to appear, so watch for symptoms after you leave the hospital and tell your doctor right away if you experience them. We don’t perform routine UTI tests after delivery, so it’s important to alert us to abnormal pain or discomfort.

Related reading: Tips to prevent involuntary urine leakage (incontinence) during and after pregnancy

With so many new tasks to complete and emotions to experience after bringing your newborn home, it can feel overwhelming to keep track of one more thing – but your health remains a priority after the birth of your baby. The more you tell us about how you feel, the more we can do to help you stay healthy.

To visit with an Ob/Gyn, call 214-645-8300 or request an appointment online.

Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) During Pregnancy

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

Medically Reviewed by Nivin Todd, MD on September 04, 2022

UTI Symptoms

If you have a UTI, you may have:

An urgent need to pee, or peeing more often
Trouble with peeing
A burning sensation or cramps in your lower back or lower belly
A burning feeling when you pee
Urine that looks cloudy or has an odor
Blood in your pee, which can turn it red, bright pink, or cola-colored

If you have a kidney infection, you may have:

Fever
Nausea
Vomiting
Upper back pain, often on just one side

If you have symptoms of a kidney infection, see your doctor right away. Without treatment, the infection can spread into your bloodstream and cause life-threatening conditions.

Why Are UTIs More Common During Pregnancy?

Hormones are one reason. In pregnancy, they cause changes in the urinary tract, and that makes women more likely to get infections. Changes in hormones can also lead to vesicoureteral reflux, a condition in which your pee flows back up from your bladder to your kidneys. This can cause UTIs.

When you’re pregnant, your pee has more sugar, protein, and hormones in it. These changes also put you at higher risk for a UTI.

Because you’re pregnant, your growing uterus presses on your bladder. That makes it hard for you to let out all the urine in your bladder. Leftover urine can be a source of infection.

Other causes of UTIs include:

Escherichia coli and other bacteria from your poop. E. Coli is the most common cause of UTIs and can move from your rectum to your urethra if you don’t wipe from front to back.

Sexual activity. Fingers, your partner’s penis, or devices can move bacteria near your vagina into your urethra.

Group B streptococcus. Many women have this bacteria in their colon and vagina. It can cause UTIs and women can pass it to their newborns. Your doctor will test you for this bacteria around weeks 36 to 37 of pregnancy. If you’re positive for group B strep, your doctor will give you IV antibiotics during labor.

UTI Diagnosis

You’ll take a urine test. Your doctor will test it for bacteria and red and white blood cells. A urine culture may also be checked. It shows what kind of bacteria are in the urine.

UTI Treatment During Pregnancy

You’ll take antibiotics for 3 to 7 days or as your doctor recommends. If your infection makes you feel uncomfortable, your doctor will probably start your treatment before you get your urine test results.

Your symptoms should go away in 3 days. Take all of your medication on schedule anyway. Don’t stop it early, even if your symptoms fade.

Many common antibiotics -- amoxicillin, erythromycin, and penicillin, for example -- are considered safe for pregnant women. Your doctor wouldn’t prescribe others, such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, or trimethoprim (Primsol, Proloprim, Trimpex), that can affect your baby’s development.

UTI Complications During Pregnancy

Pyelonephritis is a UTI that affects the kidneys. If you’re pregnant it can cause:

Preterm labor
Severe infection
Adult respiratory distress syndrome
Anemia
Long-term infection

UTI Prevention

To try to avoid getting a UTI:

Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
Wipe yourself from front to back when you go to the bathroom.
Empty your bladder shortly before and after sex.
If you need a lubricant when you have sex, choose a water-based one.
Don't douche.
Avoid strong feminine deodorants or soaps that cause irritation.
Wash your genital area with warm water before sex.
Wear cotton underwear.
Take showers instead of baths.
Don’t wear pants that are too tight.
Pee often.
Avoid alcohol, citrus juices, spicy food, and caffeinated drinks, which can irritate your bladder.

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Sex during pregnancy

Author: obstetrician-gynecologist Viktoria Shpachenko

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Sex is one of the main components of a strong relationship in a couple. When there is no child, a man and a woman live in their own pleasure and intimacy usually attaches great importance.

With the onset of pregnancy, sex often recedes into the background in couples. Mostly the initiators of this are women. Why?

A woman worries if intimate life will interfere with the development of the fetus. The most common questions of patients to gynecologists are: “Will the baby suffer?”, “Will sex provoke a miscarriage?”, “Will there be complications?”.
A woman does not feel well during pregnancy.
No desire.

Obstetrician-gynecologist Viktoria Shpachenko helped to sort out these issues.

In a normal physiological pregnancy, intimacy is not dangerous. The fetus is securely protected in the mother's tummy, so it cannot be harmed during sex. Intimate life does not provoke a missed pregnancy. This is usually caused by a chromosomal pathology or hereditary thrombophilia.

Contraindications

However, there are a number of contraindications in which it is better to abstain from sex. Among absolute:

bleeding at any time;
placenta previa;
isthmic-cervical insufficiency.

Relative contraindications include inflammatory diseases. With such diseases, the vaginal mucosa is especially vulnerable. Even the most harmless bacteria can provoke the development of an infection that is dangerous not only for the mother, but also for the baby. Therefore, it is better to postpone sex until recovery.

Feeling unwell

Indeed, during pregnancy, a woman can often feel unwell. Toxicosis or just a general malaise. Of course, in such cases, intimacy should be postponed until the condition normalizes.

Lack of desire

Lack of desire is a fairly common occurrence in a woman during pregnancy due to hormonal changes. Especially in the first trimester. In the second trimester, on the contrary, desire may intensify. During this period, especially a lot of progesterone is released in the body, the woman becomes more sensitive, and orgasms become brighter. In the third trimester, the expectant mother greatly increases her stomach, shortness of breath appears. Sex during this period can be uncomfortable and not cause desire. But, of course, every woman is unique. And it is impossible to predict how pregnancy will affect her body and attraction to a partner.

Therefore, there are no arguments in favor of not having sex from a medical point of view. Moreover, sex during pregnancy is even beneficial.

Firstly, it improves blood flow, and secondly, it gives the expectant mother positive emotions. Both are good for the baby.

How to explain to a partner if you don't want sex?

Another common question for pregnant women.

Pregnancy doesn't change anything for a man. He still needs female care, affection, wants intimacy with his woman, and it is not easy for him to understand the refusal.

If intimacy is contraindicated for medical reasons: do not forget that sex includes gentle touches, caresses, kisses, flirting. Talk to your partner about what you and he would like. It is quite possible that you will find exactly the form of intimacy that will bring pleasure to both of you and will be safe for the baby.

If you don't feel like having sex because you don't feel well or because of hormonal changes, explain to the man that this refusal is temporary. For 9months of bearing a baby, your well-being will certainly change many times. Therefore, there will certainly be periods when you can give your spouse the affection that he wants. And, of course, do not forget about taking care of him and attention to yourself. A man is very pleased when a well-groomed, beautiful and self-confident woman is next to him.

Menstruation during pregnancy - maternity hospital "Leleka"

Young women often wonder if pregnancy and menstruation can happen at the same time. Indeed, during pregnancy, some women experience spotting, which is mistaken for menstruation. But it's not.

Full menstruation during pregnancy is impossible. The endometrium, the layer of cells that lines the inside of the uterus and is shed during menstruation, helps the placenta develop during pregnancy and stays in the body. The cycle of monthly renewal of the endometrium during pregnancy stops.

However, spotting during pregnancy is not uncommon. Their appearance indicates that there are some malfunctions or pathological conditions in the woman's body. It can be a hormonal imbalance, a threatened miscarriage, and even an ectopic pregnancy.

Unfortunately, many young women underestimate this symptom, believing that periods during pregnancy are possible, and are not worried about discharge. They do not go to the doctor until the situation becomes critical. And in some cases, a timely reaction can save not only the unborn child, but also the life of the mother.

What causes bleeding during pregnancy

To understand how menstruation can start during pregnancy, and what should be done, let's turn to the processes that occur in the body of a pregnant woman.

During intercourse, semen enters the vagina and then the uterus. But fertilization may not occur immediately: spermatozoa remain active for three days. After the sex cells fuse, the fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the uterus. This, too, may not happen immediately, but within a few days. If these processes are delayed in time, the usual regular menstruation may begin. In this case, the egg will be fixed in the uterus, the pregnancy will develop normally. A pregnancy test will show a positive result. Alas, this rarely happens. More often, spotting is an alarming symptom.

Pregnancy and early periods

In some cases, the fertilized egg does not implant in the uterus, but in the fallopian tube or outside the genitals. An ectopic pregnancy develops - a severe pathology that poses a serious threat to the life of the mother and excludes a favorable outcome for the fetus. In an ectopic pregnancy, spotting may indicate a ruptured fallopian tube. The walls of the fallopian tubes are only 2-3 mm thick, they are inelastic. If an embryo develops and grows in the tube, the wall breaks, internal bleeding begins. This usually happens within 3-4 weeks. In this situation, urgent surgical intervention is necessary.

With detachment of the epithelium and the threat of miscarriage, characteristic discharge may also appear. This is possible with hormonal disruptions in the body of a woman. But sometimes spontaneous abortion occurs due to some internal failures that are almost impossible to predict in advance. If a young woman leads an unhealthy lifestyle - drinking alcohol, other toxic substances, or doing a lot of physical labor - this can increase the risk of spontaneous abortion. Allocations will just mean that the process of rejection of the embryo has begun.