Are Pregnant Women More Susceptible to UTIs?

by | Jan 15, 2020 | General Medical Articles | 0 comments

UTIs are more common in pregnant women, and those who are expecting are at their most vulnerable to UTIs between their 6th and 24th weeks of pregnancy. Anatomical changes that take place during pregnancy can make the chances of developing a urinary tract infection greater.  Because the uterus sits above the bladder, when it gets bigger and heavier it can stop the bladder from being drained properly. A pregnant woman who develops a UTI needs to ensure she gets immediate medical treatment from clinics in Las Vegas to prevent the infection from spreading to the kidneys.

The symptoms of UTIs include pain and discomfort during urination, a feeling like you need to urinate more often, the appearance of mucus or blood in the urine, pain or cramping in the lower abdomen, discomfort or pain during sexual intercourse, incontinence and strong smelling or cloudy urine. If the infection spreads to the kidneys, you may also experience symptoms like nausea and vomiting, back pain, fever and chills. Frequently UTIs present with thrush in pregnant women, so it important to make sure you take a probiotic with your antibiotics and find out if you need a separate treatment for thrush.

It is important to treat a UTI so it doesn’t progress to a kidney infection, which can result in low birth weight or premature delivery. If it is detected and treated early, it will not cause any harm to the baby.

Treatment for UTIs in pregnancy is usually by antibiotics, which are safe for the developing fetus. The antibiotics should work between one and seven days after treatment is started. If you had not had any relief from symptoms within three days of starting antibiotic treatment, it is important to go back to your doctor.

There are ways you can look into to safeguard yourself from developing a UTI, especially in those 18 weeks you are more susceptible. Make sure you drink at least six to eight glasses of water every day and supplement your liquid intake with unsweetened cranberry juice. Make sure you always go to the bathroom when you feel the urge to urinate and do not leave it too long. Also ensure that you empty your bladder completely when you urinate, to discourage a bacterial infection from developing. Also be sure to dry yourself from front to back afterwards to make sure you do not transfer bacteria.

To make sure you have access to medical care during your pregnancy, low cost health care in Las Vegas offers cost-effective solutions to look after you and your developing baby.