Symptoms
A bladder infection is accompanied by relatively typical symptoms. There is a strong burning and pulling sensation in the area of the urethra with every urination. In addition, the affected women feel a very frequent urge to urinate.
When they go to the toilet, however, they hardly ever urinate. In technical jargon this is called pollakiuria. Occasionally, a bladder infection also causes the urine to turn red due to blood admixture (haematuria).
This is known as haemorrhagic cystitis (bloody cystitis). Very typical of cystitis is the burning pain that occurs during urination. In addition, there may also be pulling pain in the lower abdomen. These are also mainly related to urination.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of cystitis is primarily made by a urine examination. However, the attending physician will first take a short medical history. He may ask which symptoms exist and when they first appeared.
He will ask whether such complaints have ever occurred during pregnancy. He will also ask about the progress of the pregnancy and possibly try to find out what could have been the cause of the cystitis. Enquiries can also be made about previous pregnancies.
This will be followed by a physical examination, the focus will be on the lower abdomen. This will be followed by a urine examination. For this, medium jet urine must be given.
This means that some urine is first left before the remaining urine is collected in a container. The urine is then examined either by means of a urine strip test or in the laboratory. The strip test gives a rough indication of whether an inflammatory reaction is taking place in the urine.
However, it cannot tell you exactly how many inflammatory cells there are and what kind of bacteria they are. The urine test in the laboratory (urine status) can give more precise information about the number of inflammatory cells in the urine (leukocytes). In addition, pregnant women are usually given a urine culture. Here the urine is examined in more detail to identify the bacteria causing the inflammation. However, the evaluation of such a urine culture takes a few days.
How dangerous is cystitis for the baby?
An untreated cystitis during pregnancy carries several risks. The main risk for the expectant mother is that the cystitis will spread. The bacteria can rise up to the kidneys and cause a pelvic inflammatory disease.
This is a severe clinical picture that is often accompanied by very high fever, chills and a significantly reduced general condition. Especially for pregnant women, hospital treatment may become necessary. A timely antibiotic therapy usually prevents such a complicated course. In the case of an untreated cystitis, the main risk for the child is that the probability of premature birth increases. Preterm birth itself is associated with numerous risks and usually requires close supervision and treatment on a special ward in hospital.
