Blood in urine during pregnancy: causes, treatment, tips and reviews

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The he alth status of a woman carrying a baby is under special control by gynecologists. It is no coincidence that expectant mothers so often take blood and urine tests until the last weeks of pregnancy. Any pathological changes in the body must be detected in the early stages, then they are easier to treat. But you should not panic with any deviations in the analyzes from the norm. So, blood in the urine during pregnancy does not always indicate serious diseases. We will tell about the reasons for its appearance, methods of diagnosis and treatment in our article.

What does it mean if blood is found in the urine?

Pregnancy is accompanied by an increased load on the internal organs and body systems. It is during this period that chronic diseases are often exacerbated, which in normal times have not bothered a woman for a long time. So,the appearance of blood in the urine may indicate inflammatory processes in the genitourinary system. This condition, in turn, poses a threat to the he alth of the expectant mother and the life of the child. Even slight deviations in the results of urine and blood tests during pregnancy from the normative indicators are a reason for an immediate visit to the doctor and further examination.

Don't worry too much in advance though. Sometimes a discoloration of urine can be caused by completely safe and even he althy foods, such as beets. But the normal color of urine does not yet mean that no abnormalities will be detected in the analysis. Often, it is stained only with very serious pathologies that are accompanied by dangerous symptoms.

Blood in the urine during pregnancy: causes that are not dangerous for the mother and fetus

From the moment of conception, a future mother undergoes a number of physiological changes, and all of them are the norm for successful gestation. It is these transformations that can be called the main reason for the appearance of blood in the urine of a woman during pregnancy.

The fact is that as the uterus grows, it begins to squeeze the ureters and bladder. This, in turn, leads to stagnation of urine and impaired circulation. As a result, red blood cells seep through the walls of the bladder and mix with urine. This condition does not threaten the he alth of the expectant mother and the development of the baby. Treatment in this case is not required. After delivery, all tests will be normal again.

The second reason for the appearance of blood in the morning urine is hormonalchanges that occur during pregnancy. These deviations should also not cause concern for a woman carrying a child.

Pathological causes of blood in the urine during pregnancy

In addition to physiological, there are more dangerous causes of blood spots during urination:

1. Urolithiasis. Blood impurities in the urine occur as a result of damage to the walls of the bladder by sand and small stones that move through the channels of the ureters. The advancement of stones is accompanied by sharp pain sensations. Urine becomes pinkish.
2. Inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system. Often during pregnancy, a woman is diagnosed with cystitis - inflammation of the mucous membrane of the bladder. This disease is characterized by frequent and painful urination. Blood in the urine during pregnancy is also found in pyelonephritis - inflammation of the kidneys.
3. Uterine bleeding. Blood in the urine is a discharge that may be a symptom of placental abruption or preterm labor.
4. Malignant neoplasms. Tumors in the urogenital organs, as they grow, can injure the walls of blood vessels, which leads to the formation of blood clots in the urine.
5. Pathologies. We are talking about the anatomical features of the organs of the urinary system, which are corrected surgically.

Causes of blood in the urine at different times

Bright red clots when urinating can appear any week of pregnancy. Blood in the urine in the first trimester is usually associated with hormonal changes in the body. If her appearance does not cause discomfort to the expectant mother, treatment is usually not required. Enough regular observations with a doctor and the timely delivery of the necessary tests.

The appearance of blood clots in the II and III trimesters is most often associated with the growth of the uterus, the weight and compression of the urethra and kidneys, circulatory disorders and damage to blood vessels. But you should be more careful about your condition, as it can cause fetal developmental disorders, premature birth or weak labor activity.

Dangerous symptoms

The appearance of blood in the urine during pregnancy rarely goes away on its own, except perhaps after childbirth, if deviations in the analyzes were caused by physiological reasons. It is the characteristic manifestations that may not be. If blood impurities during urination arose as a result of pathological changes in the body, the following symptoms may additionally be observed in a pregnant woman:

• pain in the lumbar region or bladder;
• resi when urinating;
• weight loss;
• weakness, dizziness, increased fatigue;
• sudden jumps in blood pressure and temperature;
• lack of appetite.

If pain in the lower abdomen or lower back is accompanied by fever, nausea, vomiting and general deteriorationstate of the body, a pregnant woman should urgently consult a doctor.

Diagnosis of pathology

Since it is quite difficult to visually determine the blood in the urine in any condition, including during pregnancy, a woman is prescribed:

1. Common urinalysis. For research, a morning portion of urine is collected. To make the analysis reliable, the vagina is closed with a cotton swab, and the collected fluid is delivered to the laboratory no later than 2 hours after urination.
2. Urine analysis according to Nechiporenko. For research, daily urine is taken, collected by a woman within 24 hours. The analysis allows you to detect blood even in 1 ml of liquid.
3. Urine analysis in three glasses. A woman should divide the morning portion of urine into three times: when urinating, the first portion is collected in one glass, the next in the second, and the last in the third. This approach allows you to accurately determine the location of the focus of inflammation. If blood is detected in the first glass, this indicates a lesion of the urethra, in the second - about pathological changes in the kidneys, in the third - about problems in the bladder.

Additionally, a urine culture or ultrasound may be required.

Treatment of disease

If a urinalysis shows blood during pregnancy, the next step is to determine the root cause of this symptom. In general, therapeutic treatment is prescribed based on the resultsdiagnostic tests:

• cystitis is treated with antibiotics, antispasmodics and diuretics that improve fluid outflow;
• douching with antibacterial solutions is prescribed for vaginitis;
• with urolithiasis, they resort to crushing or removing stones;
• hemostatic drugs are used for injuries of the genitourinary system;
• in chronic pathological processes, sparing therapy with drugs that are safe for the fetus is prescribed.

Prevention measures

Any woman carrying a baby should understand that the he alth and safety of the fetus depends only on her. That is why she should completely exclude from her life or try, if possible, to avoid factors that can provoke deviations in the body during pregnancy. To prevent bleeding in the urine, you should:

• avoid hypothermia, drafts, sitting in cold places;
• keep a gentle daily routine;
• follow a dietary diet, refuse fatty, smoked, spicy and s alty foods;
• regularly visit the antenatal clinic and your doctor;
• systematically take prescribed tests and follow the appointments of your obstetrician-gynecologist.

Any disorders in the body and pathologies that led to the appearance of traces of blood in the urine during pregnancy must be diagnosed and cured without fail.

Reviews from women

Just in timePregnancy, most women face such a problem as the appearance of blood particles when urinating. If deviations are detected for the first time, an additional urine test is prescribed. If it also shows the presence of traces of blood, in this case, additional studies are carried out to determine the cause of the pathological condition.

According to reviews, in many women, deviations in analyzes were accompanied by pulling pain in the lumbar region and in the lower abdomen. In this condition, pregnant women at any time were hospitalized in a hospital, where they received appropriate treatment.

For disease prevention, some pregnant women:

• starting from the second trimester, they took the knee-elbow position several times a day to relieve congestion in the kidneys;
• drank cranberry juice;
• drank lingonberry leaf (in bags), which, according to reviews, helps restore urine flow.

With the observance of doctor's prescriptions, pregnant women cope with this problem quite easily.