urine tests
During your pregnancy, your urine will be tested at regular intervals. Here's MM's guide to how and why...
A testing time
appointment, or you'll be asked to provide a sample at the surgery. Tere's no need to panic if they do. It's simply a means of monitoring your urine to ensure that there are no bacteria present at this time. Urine tests are usually carried out for the
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first time during your first antenatal appointment and then, periodically, throughout the rest of your pregnancy. Te tests are generally used to assess bladder or kidney infections, diabetes, dehydration and pre-eclampsia by screening for high levels of sugars, proteins, ketones and bacteria.
How it's carried out Te test is simple enough to carry out. You'll be offered a small glass sample bottle or a sterile cup into which you collect a small sample of clean, midstream urine, and the midwife or GP will then dip testing strips into the sample to screen for certain indicators.
What they're looking for
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) Te urine test is designed to look for UTIs, which occur when bacteria gets into the urine. UTIs can cause:
•Cystitis (bladder infection): typical symptoms of cystitis include pain while passing urine and frequent urination. Other symptoms can include pain in the lower abdomen, blood in the urine and a high temperature
12MODERNMUM Summer 2016
t various points during your pregnancy, you'll be asked by your midwife or GP to bring a urine sample with you to an
•Kidney infection: symptoms include pain the side of the abdomen over the kidney, fever, nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhoea, and blood in the urine. Not all of the symptoms may develop, however, and sometimes a kidney infection can simply cause vague symptoms, such as generally feeling unwell •Asymptomatic bacteriuria: this is where bacteria are found in the urine, but are not causing any symptoms.
Most UTIs are caused by bacteria that come from the bowel. While they're don't cause any harm in the bowel, they can cause infection if they manage to get into other parts of the body. Some bacteria lie around the anus (the back passage) aſter stools are passed. You're definitely more prone to UTIs
when you're pregnant, and if they're leſt untreated, the bacteria can cause a serious kidney infection, so, if bacteria are detected during the test, then you'll be advised to commence a course of antibiotics as soon as possible. Te aim of the antibiotics is not only to cure the infection, but to also prevent further complications for your pregnancy.
Sugar If sugar is found in your urine during the test, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have diabetes. It's actually quite normal for your kidneys to leak sugar from your bloodstream into your urine, particularly if you've had a large meal, or have drunk something extremely sweet. Your midwife or GP will, however, test you for a condition called gestational diabetes, which is diabetes
that has its onset during pregnancy, if consistent levels of sugar are detected during testing, and if you're feeling tired or lethargic, are consistently thirsty, or are losing weight.
Protein Te level of protein in your urine is also of particular interest to healthcare professionals as this can be a sign of pre- eclampsia, which is a potentially serious condition. Other symptoms of pre- eclampsia include high blood pressure and swelling in the face and hands.
Ketones High levels of ketones in your urine will indicate to your GP or midwife that you are not eating enough carbohydrates, which are your body's usual source of energy, or that you're dehydrated. If your ketone reading is raised, then it's likely that you will be suffering from severe nausea and/or vomiting, and you may have lost weight. If the presence of ketones is confirmed, then you may need intravenous fluids and medication.
Summary While it's not possible to totally prevent urine infections, there are steps that you can take to try and get rid of them as soon as possible: •Drinking plenty of water at the first signs of a urine infection will help to flush out the bladder •Cranberry juice has long been recognised as helping to relieve the symptoms of cystitis by preventing the bacteria from sticking to the bladder wall. „
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