Protein In Urine During Pregnancy

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Protein in urine during pregnancy

Protein molecules are a building block, they are present throughout the body. Protein is involved in countless processes. The medical term proteinuria means the presence of protein in the urine. Human urine should not contain protein, and if its presence is detected in the analysis of urine, then this indicates a pathology, a violation of the integrity of the renal corpuscles, through which the blood is filtered during circulation, and in addition to unnecessary and harmful substances to the body, high molecular weight protein enters the urine.

Normally, kidney filters do not allow large protein molecules to pass through, but when the kidneys become inflamed, the filters are damaged, and then the protein can be in the urine. Most often these are proteins - albumin. There is a classification of the degrees of proteinuria depending on the amount of protein (mg) excreted in the urine per day.

1. Microalbuminuria - 30-300 mg / day.

2. Mild proteinuria - 300 m - 1 g / day.

3. Moderate proteinuria - 1 g / day - 3 g / day.

4. Severe (pronounced) proteinuria - 3000 mg / day.

The study of urine allows you to timely identify the development of any pathologies during pregnancy, check the work of the kidneys, which, during a period responsible for each woman, work in an enhanced mode. In most cases, mild proteinuria and microalbuminuria are asymptomatic. But in any case, the protein in the urine during pregnancy should be alarming, because it can be a warning about the onset of a disease. If an elevated protein level persists for a long time, anemia, fatigue, nephropathy, drowsiness, dizziness appear, this can mean the occurrence of diabetes mellitus, heart failure and other troubles.

The urine of the expectant mother can change color, the temperature rises, the appetite decreases, there is a feeling of nausea, and even vomiting is possible. In pregnant women, high protein levels in the blood may be caused by lupus erythematosus, nephritis, or glomerulonephritis. The cause of the increased protein in urine is myeloma, in which case a specific protein is present in the urine.

In pregnant women, blood pressure instability is often observed, and this factor also affects the increased protein content in the urine. Many other diseases provoke changes in the composition of urine, these include diabetes mellitus, infectious or inflammatory processes of the kidneys, chemotherapy carried out before pregnancy for the treatment of malignant neoplasm of the kidneys, mechanical trauma to the kidney, and toxic poisoning. Prolonged hypothermia and burns are also possible causes of high protein in the urine of pregnant women.

Safe pregnancy

As a diagnosis, a daily urine analysis for protein is used. Since it is not very convenient to collect urine throughout the day, the determination of protein in urine occurs using electrophoresis in a single portion of urine. A gynecologist observing a pregnant woman based on the results of a biochemical blood test determines the level of nitrogenous bases (creatinine and urea).

An increase in the concentration of these substances, as well as leukocytes and protein in the urine, indicates a violation of the functional abilities of the organ. When collecting urine for analysis, you need to know some rules. Firstly, it is recommended to collect only morning urine, and secondly, the container for collecting urine must be sterile, dry and have a wide neck.

The external genitals must be clean, you can wash with soap, you can not use potassium permanganate, various antiseptics or herbal decoctions, as this can affect the results of the analysis. If, after analysis, it is revealed that the protein in the urine is caused by any disease, then the pregnant woman can be prescribed adequate treatment, which excludes a negative effect on the developing fetus.

Finding out the root cause is a very important part of successfully carrying a baby. Often, an increase in urine protein during pregnancy means that the kidneys are not performing well. Almost always, an increase in protein in the urine of the expectant mother is a clear sign of gestosis. This diagnosis is usually made in the second half of pregnancy. Gestosis causes an increase in protein, pressure surges, edema.

Every pregnant woman should know that regular visits to the doctor are a prerequisite for a safe pregnancy, it is necessary to constantly take a urine test, it is also important to monitor blood pressure, introduce foods with a high content of vitamins into the diet, exclude the use of salt, hot spices, and reduce the amount of fluid.

To prevent late gestosis or eliminate high protein in the urine, the doctor may recommend taking herbal medications, such as kanephron, phytolysin, a decoction of lingonberry leaves will be useful.

Author of the article: Lebedev Andrey Sergeevich | Urologist

Education: Diploma in the specialty "Andrology" received after completing residency at the Department of Endoscopic Urology of the Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education in the urological center of the Central Clinical Hospital No. 1 of JSC Russian Railways (2007). Postgraduate studies were completed here by 2010.