UTIs during pregnancy are one of those annoying symptoms of pregnancy that no-one warned you
about! You're busy researching baby names then all of a sudden you find yourself on the loo every 5
minutes. It's painful and frustrating, especially if you get them again and again and again.
To make things worse, antibiotics aren't ideal during pregnancy,
which can make UTIs during pregnancy hard to treat.
In this video I'm going to explain why UTIs during pregnancy are so common and I'll provide you with
a couple of my favourite tips for preventing them from coming back again. Stay tuned!
Hello! If this is our first time connecting, welcome!
My name is Melanie McGrice and I'm a pre and postnatal dietitian. I help mummas-to-be give
their baby's the best start possible with the power of good food. I post a new video every week,
so make sure that you subscribe so that you don't miss all of my nutrition tips,
and please reach out and say hi to me on my socials... I do regular live Q&A sessions,
so I'd love you to join me. You'll find all the details in the description box below this video.
In this video, I'm going to discuss UTIs during pregnancy. But first, what is a UTI you ask?
A UTI stands for 'urinary tract infection' and is used to describe an infection in
any part of the urinary tract. The urinary tract is made up of the kidneys and ureters,
located in the upper tract, and the bladder and urethra,
located in the lower tract. Uropathogens are the organisms which cause UTI's. These uropathogens
have proteins on the cell surface which increase bacterial adhesion, making them more harmful.
Stats show that around 40% of women develop a UTI at some point in their life,
so chances are that you've had one before, but the risk of UTI's and the frequency of getting them,
significantly increases during pregnancy. The organisms which cause UTI's are the same for
both pregnant and non-pregnant women. So, if you're anything like me, you know that if you
can understand the cause of something, you have a better chance of preventing it from happening.
So, let's look at three reasons why UTI's occur more commonly in pregnant women...
Firstly, during pregnancy your urinary tract changes. This is due to increased compression
that comes from your uterus expanding. This physiological change can predispose you to
developing a UTI while pregnant.... unfortunately there's nothing we can do about this one.
Secondly, progesterone levels increase during pregnancy and the subsequent hormonal effects
of progesterone can cause your smooth muscles to relax. This results in your bladder tone
decreasing so that you don't get the urge to wee until it's really full, meaning that wee can sit
in your bladder for longer and become increasingly susceptible to bacteria. Now, I know that you're
already making an effort to drink loads of water, but through decades of working with
pregnant mummas, I've found that most mummas really don't get just how much water they need
to drink during pregnancy - especially if they have recurrent UTIs. Research suggests you need
an additional 1.5 litres, or fifty ounces each day! I know it's a lot, but trust me, it works!
My third reason is that during pregnancy your blood volume increases
which decreases urine concentration and this encourages bacterial growth in your urine.
Hence, making the development of a UTI more likely. My tip for this is try cranberry tablets.
These have been found to help reduce bacteria growing in your urinary tract.
Make sure that you speak to a prenatal dietitian to get the right dose for your unique needs.
I'd love you to share some of your tips for drinking more
fluids during pregnancy in the comments box below
and if you haven't already done so, make sure that you go to melaniemcgrice.com/pregnancy
to download my free pregnancy meal plan to help you optimise your pregnancy health.
I'll look forward to seeing you next time.