There are several factors that can make a pregnancy case, a high risk pregnancy. Urinary tract infection (UTI), if severe, is one of those factors. Let’s examine it.

At every antenatal visit, your urine is tested for pro­tein and glucose (sugar). This can give your practi­tioner a hint of whether or not you are developing diabetes of pregnancy or preeclampsia.  Sometimes protein in the urine also can be a sign of a urinary tract infection, or UTI. Urine culture for infection is done at the first visit, and again later if you have any signs of infection such as discomfort with urination. Urinating frequently and leaking a little urine with a cough or sneeze is normal in pregnancy.

Urinary tract infections are among the most com­mon medical problems that expectant mothers face. Between 2 and 7 per cent of pregnant women will have urine cultures that test positive for bacteria, and even without these tests, some women would recognize that they have a UTI because of the familiar symp­toms: a need to urinate frequently, a burning sensation while urinating, discomfort after voiding and, some­times, blood in the urine. However, most pregnant women with UTls have none of the classic symptoms­ thus, the routine screenings to catch the infections.



The bacteria that cause urinary tract infections usually come from your own body: they live in the intestinal tract or the skin near the opening of the bladder. Your doctor can prescribe an antibiotic that is known to be safe in pregnancy to quickly cure the infection.

It is very important to receive treatment for UTls. Mild infections, which can be asymptomatic (without obvious symptoms), can turn into severe ones, with plenty of pain for you and consequences for the baby, including preterm uterine contractions.

Kidney infections can be hard to diagnose

When doctors use the term UTI, they're usually referring to an infection of the lower urinary tract. Much more rare but caused by the same bacteria are upper urinary tract infections, commonly called kidney infections or pyelonephritis. Although they typically don't cause the telltale bladder symptoms that alert some women to the presence- of UTls, these more serious infections often are accompanied by fever, chills and back or side pain. In addition, some people experience nausea and vomiting, leading them to suspect food poisoning or appendicitis instead of the real culprit. If you develop any of the symptoms mentioned above, you need to see your doctor right away - even if it's after office hours. Kidney infections can lead to premature labour, bacteria in the bloodstream (blood poisoning) and difficulty breathing. Treatment usually involves intravenous antibiotics in the hospital until the fever subsides and the possibility of serious complications has passed.