Pregnant Women, Do not Hold Urine Can Increase Risk of Urinary Tract Infection

With a variety of reasons not to go to the bathroom too often, many pregnant women choose to hold urine or urinate. Sometimes, some women hold their urine while sleeping at night or while traveling. In fact, holding urine while pregnant can cause health problems. In general, pregnant women do have a higher risk for urinary tract infections (UTIs). Having the habit of holding urine will further increase the risk of UTI in pregnant women.

What Causes Urinary Tract Infection?

Pregnant women do experience an increase in the frequency of urination due to hormonal changes that make blood flow to the kidneys faster and blood volume also increases by about 50 percent compared to before pregnancy, thereby increasing bladder filling, urinary frequency, and urine volume. In addition, the development of an increasingly large uterine size will give emphasis to the bladder. UTIs on pregnant women are generally caused by a growing uterus and pressure on the bladder. So when pregnant women urinate, often some urine is still left in the bladder. The urine remaining in the bladder is a site for bacterial development. When pregnant women hold urine and do not empty the bladder completely, it will make bacteria stay there longer, and further increase the risk of UTI.

Symptoms that can be recognized

The usual UTI symptoms include:

• Pain or pain when urinating.
• The urine that comes out is cloudy, bleeding, or has a strong odor.
• More often feel like urinating.
• Fever.
• Pain and discomfort in the pelvis, lower abdomen, and lower back.
• Pain during sex.

Other signs that the infection is in a more severe condition and may have spread to the kidneys are body temperature which rises to 38 degrees Celsius or more, pain in the lower back and pelvis, trembling and shivering, nausea and vomiting, as well as chills .

Tips to Avoid UTI and Excessive Urination When Pregnant

To prevent UTIs during pregnancy, some things you can do include drinking more water and cleaning intimate organs in a flushing direction from front to back after urinating. This is to avoid spreading germs from the anus to the urethra. Then choose underwear from cotton and not too tight. Then change clothes every day. No less important is not to hold urine for a long time. Although frequent urination is inevitable for most pregnant women, the following tips can be applied to avoid increasing urine frequency and volume:

• Avoid drinking coffee, tea or carbonated drinks like soda because this type of drink is a diuretic that can increase urine production and make pregnant women urinate frequently.
• When urinating, empty the bladder completely. You can lean forward when urinating to help empty the bladder. Do this carefully, yes!
• Urinate immediately and don't delay when you feel like urinating. Too often hold back urination, can gradually weaken the pelvic floor muscles in the long run.
• How to avoid waking up at night to urinate is to drink lots of water during the day, and avoid drinking much before going to bed. But, make sure the body remains well hydrated. A sign that you have had enough to drink is the color of light yellow or clear urine.

If pregnant women have done the tips above but still feel symptoms of UTI, consult a doctor immediately. It is important to get proper UTI care and treatment, so as to avoid health problems in the mother and baby, such as kidney infections, premature babies and low birth weight babies.