Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in women and AFAB people, and they are even more common in pregnancy because of the effects of progesterone.
Progesterone relaxes the smooth muscle of the urinary tract, which can cause ureteral dilation and increase the chances of contracting a UTI.
UTIs can be dangerous in pregnancy, as they can cause preterm labour. Therefore, if you suspect a UTI, please contact your midwife immediately as we can commence treatment quickly to keep you and baby safe.
Asymptomatic bacteriuria is also common in pregnancy. This is when you have no symptoms of a UTI, but bacteria is found in your urine. It can cause symptomatic UTI, pyelonephritis, preterm labour, or a low birth weight baby, so some midwives routinely screen for it at booking and will treat it if it is detected.
Routine screening for asymptomatic bacteriuria may show that you have group B streptococcus in your urine. If this is found, it would be treated the same way as any other asymptomatic bacteriuria, but it would also come with the recommendation of IV antibiotics in labour to prevent group B streptococcus infection in your baby.