Urinary Tract Infections During Pregnancy

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are infections in the bladder, kidneys, ureters (the tubes that carry urine from your kidneys to your bladder) or urethra (the tube that carries urine from your bladder to the outside of your body). UTIs are caused by bacteria. The most common type of UTI is a bladder infection. Other types of UTIs are kidney infections and infections of the urethra.

UTIs may cause different symptoms in different people. You may feel a burning when you urinate. You may need to urinate more often. Or, you may feel like you need to go again right after you've just urinated. You may notice blood in your urine or a strong odor.

Sometimes germs can grow in the urinary tract but you won't have any of these symptoms. This is called asymptomatic (pronounced: "a-simp-toe-mat-ik") bacteriuria. Your doctor can test to find out if you have this. Asymptomatic bacteriuria should be treated in pregnant women, but does not need to be treated in most other women.

If you have a UTI and it isn't treated, it may lead to a kidney infection. Kidney infections may cause early labor. Fortunately, asymptomatic bacteriuria and bladder infections can usually be found and treated before the kidneys become infected. If your doctor treats a urinary tract infection early and properly, it won't hurt your baby.

Your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic that is safe for you and the baby. You can help by drinking a lot of water to help flush the germs from your urine.

You should call your doctor if you have a fever (over 100.5 degrees), chills, lower stomach pains, nausea, vomiting or flank pain. You should also call your doctor if you have any contractions, or if, after taking medicine for 3 days, you still have a burning feeling when you urinate.

You can help prevent UTIs in several ways. First, you should always drink plenty of liquids (water is the best). You should urinate often. Don't wait for long periods of time before you urinate. Always urinate after sexual intercourse. After you urinate, always wipe from front to back to prevent the spread of bacteria.