Introduction
Normally no protein is excreted with the urine. During pregnancy, however, a small amount of protein in the urine is not unusual. However, it is always possible that there are more serious causes.
A doctor should therefore be consulted. Protein in the urine during pregnancy can be an indication of a urinary tract infection. If other symptoms such as high blood pressure and fluid accumulation in the arms and legs occur in addition, pregnancy poisoning (gestosis) is likely to occur. This is an absolute emergency. The patient should be treated in a hospital immediately.
When is the occurrence of protein in urine pathological?
In a healthy non-pregnant woman with normal kidney function, the urine test usually shows no protein. However, if protein is detected in the urine, the medical term is proteinuria. But even in non-pregnant women, protein in the urine does not always indicate a pathological change.
One speaks of benign proteinuria if only a small amount of protein is involved. During pregnancy, protein excretion in the urine is actually rather common and even here it is usually harmless. They occur after emotional stress, hypothermia or physical exertion.
However, there is a limit of < 150mg per day. If more than 150 mg of protein is detected, this indicates that it is worth monitoring. This means that the woman should consult a gynecologist.
A urine culture should be made to rule out a urinary tract infection. The blood pressure must be measured. It must be checked whether there are other indications of pregnancy poisoning (gestosis).
If the suspicion of gestosis (e.g. pre-eclampsia) is confirmed, the woman must be admitted to hospital immediately. If there are no indications of a serious illness, the urinalysis should be repeated promptly. A control of the urine findings is then sufficient.
Course of disease
The course of the disease is often very different depending on the cause. In most cases, protein excretion in the urine also decreases after the end of pregnancy. In the case of infections, protein excretion also disappears during pregnancy after treatment of the urinary tract infection. In the rarest cases, a threatening disease such as pregnancy poisoning is behind it.
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