Three of pregnancy's more than mutual complications are gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and urinary tract infections — all of which accept markers that evidence up in your urine. That's why at every prenatal visit, you'll take to give your doctor a urine sample.

What urine tests detect during pregnancy

A quick urinalysis during each prenatal checkup gives your practitioner a heads-up if you lot potentially take a condition that requires treatment. Urine tests during pregnancy await for the post-obit:

  • Diabetes. High levels of glucose (or sugar) in your urine may signal pre-existing type 1 or type 2 diabetes or, after on in pregnancy, gestational diabetes (GD). Gestational diabetes is also tested for with a glucose (claret sugar) screening between weeks 24 and 28 of pregnancy.
  • Preeclampsia. Protein in your urine is sometimes a sign of preeclampsia, or pregnancy-induced high claret pressure level.
  • A urinary tract infection (UTI). Cherry or white claret cells in your urine may be a sign of a UTI.
  • Aridity. Dark, tea-colored urine usually signals that you need to drink more water. Two common causes for preterm contractions include aridity and UTIs, simply luckily practitioners can treat both easily.

How prenatal urine tests are done

You lot provide the sample, so strategically up your water intake before each visit. For the most accurate results, practitioners recommend that you:

  • Wash your hands and wipe the labia clean from front to back (ordinarily with a wipe provided by the physician).
  • Start peeing in the toilet.
  • Catch the urine midstream with the collection cup.
  • Continue filling to the marker indicated by your practitioner (usually about one to ii ounces).

A nurse or technician volition insert a dipstick into the sample or place a few drops of urine onto testing strips to check for saccharide, poly peptide or blood cells. A color modify indicates a positive exam.

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Urine is as well sometimes analyzed under a microscope to cheque for red and white blood cells.

What it ways if you accept glucose in your urine

Try not to stress: Many women test positive for glucose at some signal during pregnancy. It'southward a normal and expected part of being pregnant — especially in the 2d trimester — as more sugar circulates in your bloodstream to support your baby.

The trunk volition continue to adjust your insulin levels over fourth dimension, and then that most people volition not develop gestational diabetes.

If you continue to accept glucose in your urine and blood tests as your pregnancy progresses, you lot may have gestational diabetes. The status can be confirmed with a glucose tolerance screening and examination.

Your practitioner will probable exercise a glucose screening test much earlier in your pregnancy, peradventure fifty-fifty at your beginning prenatal visit, if you take run a risk factors for gestational diabetes. Those include being overweight, beingness over the age of 35, having a history of diabetes in your family unit, or experiencing gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy.

What it means if y'all have protein in your urine during pregnancy

Protein in the urine sometimes means yous could have preeclampsia (though not always, so talk to your practitioner). You may have preeclampsia if you take loftier claret pressure along with one or more other symptoms of the condition after week 20 of pregnancy.

To diagnose preeclampsia, your doctor may ask you to collect your urine for 24 hours. A total of 0.3 grams or more of protein in this urine sample is considered preeclampsia.

Your practitioner may also measure other markers, like your liver enzyme levels and blood platelet count, to make a diagnosis.

If it turns out that you do have preeclampsia, your doctor will proceed to test your blood and urine regularly. He or she will also suggest other measures to assistance you manage the condition, such as doing a daily kick count and making changes to your diet. See your practitioner regularly then yous and your baby get the care you need.

What information technology ways if y'all have a UTI during pregnancy

UTIs are more than common during pregnancy thanks in part to an increment in musculus-relaxing pregnancy hormones that let more bacteria to enter your urethra. An overgrowth of leaner in the urethra or bladder is known as a UTI. If the bacteria makes it into your kidneys, it may lead to a kidney infection.

A urine test at your doctor's office checks for red and white blood cells (besides known as leukocytes). Having cherry blood cells and leukocytes in your urine may indicate that you have a urinary tract infection. Your doctor will send the sample to a lab for farther analysis.

A UTI in your urethra or bladder can be easily taken care of with a form of pregnancy-rubber antibiotics prescribed past your doctor. A kidney infection may require a round of IV antibiotics at the hospital.

Risks of urine tests during pregnancy

There are no risks associated with prenatal urine tests to you or your baby. Although the mechanics of peeing into a plastic cup get pretty interesting in your ninth month (!) just try to "get with the flow."