Is urine test during pregnancy necessary?

A pregnancy urine test is on the list of tests that need to be done to make sure you're pregnant and that your baby isn't having any problems. 

Pregnancy is a magical time because you are nurturing a living germ in your body. To ensure that pregnant mothers can take over this responsibility, doctors will take certain preventive measures. Some of them include a urine test during pregnancy. If you are wondering why this test is so important, let's find out through the following article.

Why should a urine test during pregnancy?

Doctors always recommend performing a urine test during pregnancy to identify early signs of underlying conditions through the presence of several different substances in the urine . From there, proposing plans to limit their adverse effects on pregnant mothers and fetuses.

The urine sample will be taken to the analysis room to determine if you have kidney disease, diabetes or even bladder infection by measuring your protein, sugar, bacteria or abnormal any other substance.

When should a urine test be done?

The urine test during pregnancy is usually done during the first pregnancy check- up. You may only do one or more times during a routine prenatal check-up. In addition, the urine test does not cause any risks, so pregnant mothers are completely assured when performing this test.

How to perform a urine test during pregnancy

The urine will be placed in a sterile canister to prevent bacteria or any other agent from affecting the results. To screen for certain diseases, your doctor will use a test strip with the right chemicals and dip it into a urine sample.

What may the results of a pregnancy urine test reveal?

Here are 4 main problems that can be found when pregnant women have a urine test:

Diabetes

Usually during pregnancy, blood sugar levels in your urine will partly indicate your current health status. If the body currently has very high blood sugar, the urine will also have excess sugar. This phenomenon is also linked to gestational diabetes , which is quite common during pregnancy.

It occurs when pregnancy hormones in the body disrupt insulin production. Your doctor will order a blood test if you find any additional risks or if someone in your family has diabetes.

Gestational diabetes mainly occurs in the period from 24 weeks of pregnancy onwards. Uncontrolled blood sugar during pregnancy can increase a baby's risk of heart problems, spinal cord and neurological defects.

Infection

The presence of bacteria in the urine is a sign of a urinary tract infection . The symptoms sometimes appear vague that many women do not even know they are sick. This form of infection can spread to the kidneys, causing major problems for the baby.

Urinary tract infections also increase the risk of premature birth or low birth weight, and lead to many complications if not treated properly and quickly. When the urine test is positive, the doctor may perform a urine culture method. In this way, the presence of bacteria can be confirmed with the prescription of the appropriate antibiotic. Doctors often identify and treat symptoms of a bacterial infection in the first place.

Ketone

Ketones are an acidic compound that occurs when fat is broken down. If you have diabetes, then a large amount of ketones will most likely be present in your mother's urine.

When your test results show a high ketone score, your doctor will ask about your eating habits to assess if you are having problems. In order to thoroughly treat the problem, the pregnant mother will need to go to the hospital for the doctor to make the appropriate plan.

Proteinuria (proteinuria)

Proteinuria ( proteinuria ) is one of the signs of a urinary tract infection, chronic kidney disease or kidney infection . As the condition continues to develop, it also becomes an early sign of pre-eclampsia , a type of disease that can lead to high blood pressure after the 20th week of pregnancy and endanger the whole mother. and child.

If both your blood pressure and proteinuria are normal, your doctor may decide to have a urine transplant to determine the cause of proteinuria during pregnancy.

What is a urine culture test?

Urine culture is a test to find out what bacteria are in the urine so that the doctor can prescribe the correct antibiotic for the pregnant mother to use for the type of infection you are having.

Why pregnant mother need urine culture test?

Pregnant women may be asked to have a urine culture test to find:

The bacteria cause urinary tract infections

To decide on the right antibiotic to treat infection during pregnancy

Treatments are aimed at completely eliminating urinary tract infections

Normally, for the urine culture test, pregnant women are required to do 2 times. The first time is to check for the bacteria that cause the infection and the second to check for the complete removal of the infection and to make sure the mother and baby are not in danger of any harm in the future.

How is a urine culture test done?

The urine culture test takes place as follows:

The pregnant mother gives the doctor the first urine test sample. The test sample is then placed in a Petri dish and then added to a catalyst or on an environment that promotes bacterial growth in the laboratory.

Without bacterial growth, the result will be negative. Conversely, when a sign of bacterial growth is detected, the result will be positive. Furthermore, this test will be able to accurately reveal the type of bacteria that are growing and causing the infection .

You can get results in a day or two. On the other hand, pregnant women may need to perform urine culture tests several times during pregnancy as a preventive measure.

Hope the information in the article helps you partly understand the need for a urine test during pregnancy. In addition, you should have a healthy diet as well as try to get active to have a healthy pregnancy.

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