What To Use For Uti When Pregnant

Why Are Utis Common During Pregnancy

UTIs are common during pregnancy. Thats because the growing fetus can put pressure on the bladder and urinary tract. This traps bacteria or causes urine to leak.

There are also physical changes to consider. As early as six weeks gestation, almost all pregnant women experience ureteral dilation, when the urethra expands and continues to expand until delivery.

The larger urinary tract, along with increased bladder volume and decreased bladder tone, all cause the urine to become more still in the urethra. This allows bacteria to grow.

To make matters worse, a pregnant womans urine gets more concentrated. It also has certain types of hormones and sugar. These can encourage bacterial growth and lower your bodys ability to fight off bad bacteria trying to get in.

2 and 10 percent of pregnant women experience a UTI. Even more worrisome, UTIs tend to reoccur frequently during pregnancy.

Women whove had UTIs before are more prone to get them during pregnancy. The same goes for women whove had several children.

Preventing Utis During Pregnancy

While UTIs might happen whatever precautions you take, a few steps can help reduce the odds youll suffer from a UTI during pregnancy:

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

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

Because youâre 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 donât wipe from front to back.

Sexual activity. Fingers, your partnerâs 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 youâre positive for group B strep, your doctor will give you IV antibiotics during labor.

Also Check: What Cause Pregnancy

Uti Treatment: What To Expect

UTI treatments during pregnancy are safe and easy, usually involving a short course 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 , 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.

Uti Symptoms And Prevention

A urinary tract infection , also called bladder infection, is a bacterial inflammation in the urinary tract. Pregnant women are at increased risk for UTIs starting in week 6 through week 24 because of changes in the urinary tract. The uterus sits directly on top of the bladder. As the uterus grows, its increased weight can block the drainage of urine from the bladder, causing a urinary tract infection during pregnancy.

Recommended Reading: Can Pregnant Women Use Vagisil

How To Feel Better

If your healthcare professional prescribes you antibiotics:

• Take antibiotics exactly as your healthcare professional tells you.
• Do not share your antibiotics with others.
• Do not save antibiotics for later. Talk to your healthcare professional about safely discarding leftover antibiotics.

Drink plenty of water or other fluids. Your healthcare professional might also recommend medicine to help lessen the pain or discomfort. Talk with your healthcare professional if you have any questions about your antibiotics.

What Are Your Options

UTIs are common and easy to prevent and treat in all women, even in pregnancy. If your urologic health is being pestered by recurring UTIs, oftentimes more aggressive, preventative treatment options are available and additional labs/tests may be ordered to rule out other causes that are contributory.

Interested in learning more about what you can do to encourage urologic health and prevent UTIs? Drop us a note or give us a call at .

Read Also: Kinesio Tape For Pregnancy Round Ligament Pain

Uti Diagnosis And Treatment

Think you may have a UTI? The standard way to diagnose one is a urine culture. Most doctors will ask for a clean catch sample, where you pee into a cup midstream after carefully wiping your outer vaginal area.

If you are diagnosed with a UTI, your doctor will likely provide a pregnancy-safe antibiotic for seven to 14 days to get rid of all of the bacteria. Be sure to take the recommended full course, even if you start to feel better midway through treatment, and drink plenty of water.

If the infection has reached your kidneys, your practitioner may suggest staying in the hospital, where you can receive IV antibiotics.

Keep in mind: Some women have a UTI with no symptoms at all. Because an untreated infection can lead to complications including kidney infection and, potentially, an increased risk of fetal growth restriction, preeclampsia and preterm birth notify your provider immediately if you have any UTI-like symptoms.

Likewise, the urine tests at your regular prenatal visits are really important.

How To Use Baking Soda For A Uti

Proponents of the baking soda method for treating a UTI claim that baking soda neutralizes the acid in your urine, which allows your body to take care of the bacteria on its own. They also claim that baking soda helps detoxify your kidneys, which stops the infection from spreading there and causing damage.

To use baking soda as a treatment for a UTI, its recommended that you dissolve 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of baking soda in water and drink it on an empty stomach.

Don’t Miss: Vagisil Cream Pregnancy

What Causes A Uti During Pregnancy

Several factors can lead to a UTI during pregnancy, including:

• Changes in your body. All women are at risk for UTIs . But pregnant women may be more prone: Changes in hormones may give bacteria an easier opportunity to travel up the urinary tract and cause an infection. Your growing uterus also puts added pressure on your bladder, making it more difficult to completely empty it of urine .
• Bacteria from the bowel. UTI-causing bacteria can come from several places. By far the most common bacterial invader, E. coli, comes from the bowel. Because the urethra is located close to the rectum, these bacteria can be transported up the urethra. Wiping from front to back every time you use the bathroom can help keep bacteria away from this area.
• Intercourse. Sex during pregnancy is perfectly healthy but there is a downside: It also has the potential to lead to a UTI, as bacteria near the vagina may be pushed into the urethra during intercourse. It may not be romantic, but its important to urinate before and after sex to move that bacteria along.
• Group B streptococcus. This type of bacteria, commonly carried in the intestinal tract, can also cause UTIs during pregnancy. Late in your pregnancy, your doctor will test you for this infection and treat you with antibiotics if necessary.

There are also some less avoidable risk factors. If any of these apply to you, be sure to discuss them with your doctor so you can be closely monitored for signs of an infection:

Infections Youre More Susceptible To During Pregnancy

• Blog
• 7 Infections Youre More Susceptible to During Pregnancy

During pregnancy, women become more prone to certain infections some mild while others can cause grave complications for mommy and baby. Because certain infections can be more prevalent among pregnant women, its important to know how to prevent and/or treat them.

You May Like: Chemical Pregnancy Mayo Clinic

Treatments For A Uti During Pregnancy

Staying hydrated

When you are pregnant, staying hydrated is important to the health and development of your baby.

Beyond prenatal health benefits, drinking water consistently can also provide benefits to your urinary tract health.

Studies show that drinking water and staying hydrated can help flush out bacteria and infection from the urinary tract.

Drinking cranberry juice

Cranberry can be consumed in the form of unsweetened juice or convenient supplement pills.

Drinking unsweetened cranberry juice is a popular remedy for treating UTIs. A few studies suggest that cranberry juice may help prevent UTIs, but no research supports the idea that cranberry juice can cure or treat a UTI beyond easing some of the uncomfortable symptoms.

One study shows the ingredients in cranberry juice may help prevent infection-causing E. coli bacteria from collecting on the cells inside the walls of the bladder and urinary tract, which can reduce the risk of developing a UTI. Another study shows cranberry helps to stop bacteria from lingering in the urinary tract, which might help preventing infection, though more research is needed to confirm this holds true for people.

Research shows that cranberry juice does not put the mother and baby at risk when consumed during pregnancy. Studies suggest promising results from using cranberry juice to manage UTIs while pregnant.

Consuming ascorbic acid

Treating A Uti In Pregnancy

A short course of antibiotics is usually enough to wipe out a UTI in the bladder, explains the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. But treatment for UTI is a little more complicated during pregnancy, as certain medications might not be safe for the fetus.

“Different antibiotics may pose different risks at different times during pregnancy,” says Dr. Wynn.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes a 2016 study in which pregnant women who received trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, cephalosporins, or nitrofurantoin to treat a UTI before or during their first trimester were at a higher risk for major birth defects, compared with those who used penicillin.

Your doctor can advise on which antibiotics are safe for you at any point during your pregnancy, factoring in other considerations such as allergies. Generally, you don’t need to take antibiotics for more than a week, but sometimes treatment may last 14 days, says the American Urological Association . The good news is that you should feel better within a couple of days of starting treatment, the Urology Care Foundation reports.

If your UTI has reached your kidneys, treatment is more involved, says AUA. You will likely need to spend a couple of days in the hospital and receive antibiotics through an IV, followed by a course of oral antibiotics.

Recommended Reading: Can I Use Vagisil Wipes While Pregnant

Urinary Tract Infection In Pregnancy

, MD, PhD, University of Texas Health Medical School at Houston, McGovern Medical School

Urinary tract infection Introduction to Urinary Tract Infections Urinary tract infections can be divided into upper tract infections, which involve the kidneys , and lower tract infections, which involve the bladder , urethra… read more is common during pregnancy, apparently because of urinary stasis, which results from hormonal ureteral dilation, hormonal ureteral hypoperistalsis, and pressure of the expanding uterus against the ureters. Asymptomatic bacteriuria occurs in about 15% of pregnancies and sometimes progresses to symptomatic cystitis Cystitis Bacterial urinary tract infections can involve the urethra, prostate, bladder, or kidneys. Symptoms may be absent or include urinary frequency, urgency, dysuria, lower abdominal pain… read more or pyelonephritis Acute pyelonephritis Bacterial urinary tract infections can involve the urethra, prostate, bladder, or kidneys. Symptoms may be absent or include urinary frequency, urgency, dysuria, lower abdominal pain… read more . Frank UTI is not always preceded by asymptomatic bacteriuria.

Asymptomatic bacteriuria, UTI, and pyelonephritis increase risk of

• Nitrofurantoin

• Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole

After treatment, proof-of-cure cultures are required.

Women who have pyelonephritis or have had more than one UTI may require suppressive therapy, usually with TMP/SMX or nitrofurantoin, for the rest of the pregnancy.

Can Having A Uti While Pregnant Hurt The Baby

Possibly. A UTI itself doesnt hurt the baby directly, says Bartos. Its the failure to treat a UTI that can cause things like preterm birth or, rarely, infection of the amniotic sac. For example, research published in American Family Physician shows that treating pregnant women who have asymptomatic UTIs decreases the incidence of preterm birth and low-birth-weight infants. Thats why screening and prompt treatment are important.

Also Check: Lasik Eye Surgery While Pregnant

Treating Bacteriuria During Pregnancy

In people who arent pregnant, ASB isnt a big deal. It usually goes away without causing problems. During pregnancy, though, ASB is taken seriously. There is a high rate of ASB progressing to UTI and then on to pyelonephritis during pregnancy. In fact, data suggests that up to one-third of people with ASB during pregnancy will go on to develop kidney infection if it isnt treated. For that reason, people who are pregnant are tested for bacteriuria at prenatal visits. When bacteriuria is found, it is treated with antibiotics.

When bacteriuria is detected during pregnancy, a sample of the urine is also sent to a lab to start a culture. Although a urine culture takes a few days to grow, its important to identify what species of bacteria is causing the problem. Like most UTIs at other times, UTIs during pregnancy are mostly caused by a common type of bacteria called E. coli. In pregnancy, however, UTIs are sometimes caused by bacteria called Group B strep . Because GBS infection carries particular risks for pregnant people and babies, its important to check for it during pregnancy.

Can A Urine Infection Affect My Pregnancy

If you have a kidney infection when you are pregnant, you can feel very unwell. If left untreated, it may also cause problems such as early labour and/or a small baby. A kidney infection is uncommon but may develop as a complication from a bladder infection or from a urine infection. There may be no symptoms at first .

Read Also: Sore Breasts After Mirena Removal

Urinary Tract Infection During Pregnancy

• Complications

Urinary tract infections are common during pregnancy. A UTI may not have any symptoms, but it may show up as a burning sensation during urination or the feeling of having to go again right away. Doctors routinely check for urinary tract infections during prenatal visits and treat them as soon as possible. Heres what you need to know about the causes, treatment, and prevention of UTIs during pregnancy.

When To See A Doctor

Proper prenatal care is key to staying on top of any health concerns, including UTIs.

See a doctor right away if you experience any of the symptoms typically associated with UTIs. If you catch the infection early, you can nip it in the bud and get back to concentrating on how to decorate the nursery.

If a UTI isnt treated, it can spread to your kidneys. Symptoms of a kidney infection tend to be more severe and can include:

• fever
• nausea or vomiting

Kidney infections are bad news. They require immediate medical care, so visit your doctor ASAP if you have these symptoms.

Recommended Reading: Giving Plasma While Pregnant

Uti Symptoms In Pregnancy

The most common symptoms of a UTI are pain or burning when you pee and the urgent need to pee frequently. The burning feeling is caused by urine passing through an inflamed urethra. The need to race to the bathroom every few minutes is caused by inflammation in the wall of the bladder. When the bladder is infected and irritated, holding even a small amount of urine can feel uncomfortable.

When youre pregnant, the pressure of your uterus on your bladder can make it feel like you need to go to the bathroom frequently. This is normal. It may be inconvenient, but it shouldnt feel like you need to go urgently every few minutes. Also, passing your urine shouldnt hurt. Signs of infection include the painful need to urinate immediately only to discover there is very little urine in your bladder along with pain while the urine is coming.

If you get a fever or back pain with a UTI, that could mean the infection has progressed beyond your bladder to your kidneys. This is called pyelonephritis. It is a much more serious infection that can result in long-term problems for you and your baby. For this reason, if you have a UTI and a fever during pregnancy, you should always be seen by a medical professional right away.

How To Prevent Utis

Mentioned below are some tips that can help you prevent a urinary tract infection during pregnancy. Even if you have a urinary tract infection, you can follow these steps to prevent it from worsening.

1. Wear Loose Clothes

Wear light and loose-fitting clothes and innerwear to allow the air to pass and to keep the urethra dry. Also, wipe yourself dry from front to back after any bowel movement to ensure that bacteria dont get into the urethra.

2. Eat Healthy Foods

Eat healthy food and lead a healthy lifestyle. Consult a dietician and ask what you can eat during pregnancy. Avoid eating unhealthy food at all cost.

3. Avoid Using Feminine Hygiene Products

Do not use perfumed products, powders, or douches as these can irritate the already vulnerable area and worsen the condition.

4. Avoid Using Spermicides

Use lubricated condoms which do not have spermicides. The incidence of UTIs is high among women who are sexually active. So if you are having sex with your partner, be careful.

5. Use Lubricants

Use a lubricant while having sex with your partner, as excess friction while having sex can cause micro-trauma to the urethral mucosa and facilitate the ascent of bacteria.

6. Treat Vaginal Infections

Treat vaginal infections effectively as concomitant vaginal infection often precipitates a urinary tract infection. So if you have a vaginal infection, get it treated in time and lower your chances of a UTI.

Also Read:

Read Also: Restylane While Pregnant