- How to identify urinary incontinence
- How is incontinence treated
- Symptoms of urinary tract infection
- Remedy for urinary tract infection in pregnancy
The pregnant woman has a great need to pee, going to the bathroom several times a day, because with the growth of the baby, the uterus presses on the bladder, which leaves less space to fill and increase in size, generating the urge to urinate more frequent.
But in addition, there are 2 other situations that can be of more concern: urinary tract infection and urinary incontinence, which are also common in pregnancy.
How to identify urinary incontinence
Urinary incontinence in pregnancy is a common situation that affects about 80% of pregnant women and it manifests with:
- Loss of urine before reaching the bathroom; Leaking small spurts of urine when laughing, running, coughing or sneezing; Failing to hold the pee for more than 1 minute.
Usually this difficulty in holding the pee passes after the baby is born, but doing pelvic exercises, contracting the muscles of the vagina is the best way to combat this symptom, with total control of the urine.
Learn the answers to the most common questions about urinary incontinence.
How is incontinence treated
The treatment for urinary incontinence in pregnancy aims to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles through their contraction to decrease episodes of urinary incontinence.
This can be done through physical therapy with pelvic floor muscle contraction exercises, which are called Kegel exercises, but in the most severe cases, it may be necessary to use an electrical stimulation device, in which the pelvic muscles contract involuntarily. due to a light and bearable electric current.
To perform the exercises you must:
- Empty the bladder; Contract the pelvic floor muscles for 10 seconds. To identify what these muscles are, you only have to stop the flow of urine when you are urinating. This movement is the one you have to use in contraction; relax your muscles for 5 seconds.
Kegel exercises should be repeated 10 times in a row, 3 times a day.
The most important thing is for the woman to be aware of the muscle that must contract and contract it several times a day. The more exercises you do, the faster you will be cured. This exercise can be done sitting, lying down, with legs open or closed.
Symptoms of urinary tract infection
Another common situation in pregnant women is urinary tract infection, which occurs when symptoms such as:
- Urge to urinate, which suddenly appears; Burning during the passage of urine or just when you finish peeing; Difficulty controlling the pee, wetting your panties.
Urinary tract infection occurs at least 1 time in all pregnant women, but it should only be diagnosed through the urine test, requested by the obstetrician. Some pregnant women who had a urinary tract infection before getting pregnant, when recognizing the symptoms, immediately go to the laboratory to perform the urine test to go to the obstetrician with the test in hand, so that he can indicate the treatment
Remedy for urinary tract infection in pregnancy
With the result of the examination confirming the urinary infection, the obstetrician may prescribe the taking of an antibiotic such as Cephalexin, Ampicillin, Amoxicillin or Ceftriaxone.
Drinking plenty of water and cranberry juice is a good way to contribute to a faster recovery, but this does not replace the use of antibiotics, because only they will be able to eliminate the bacteria from the urinary system.
Check out tips to get rid of urinary tract infection faster, in this video by nutritionist Tatiana Zanin:
