Therapy | A cystitis in pregnancy

Therapy

A cystitis in pregnancy differs slightly in its therapeutic aspects from the cystitis of a non-pregnant woman. This has to do with the fact that cystitis in pregnant women is always considered complicated. Therapeutically, this means that any urinary tract infection in a pregnant woman must be treated.

This also applies to cases where a urinary tract infection is detected during a routine examination although the woman concerned has no symptoms at all (asymptomatic bacteriuria). For this reason, according to the guidelines for preventive examinations during pregnancy, a urine status is carried out monthly. If an inflammation of the bladder is detected, antibiotic treatment must be initiated.

If the symptoms are very severe at the beginning, light painkillers such as paracetamol (possible during the entire pregnancy) or ibuprofen (only in the first 6 months) can be administered additionally. During pregnancy, special care must be taken, as there are certain medications which the pregnant woman must not take. This is because certain medicines can have a harmful effect on the unborn child.

They are known as teratogenic, i.e. damaging to the fertility. Many antibiotics should not be used during pregnancy, either because they have not been sufficiently researched with regard to their use during pregnancy, or because there are indications of a teratogenic effect. The antibiotics of choice for cystitis in non-pregnant women are fosfomycin or nitrofurantoin.

However, nitrofurantoin should not be used during pregnancy. There is currently no completely uniform opinion regarding fosfomycin. Some authors see this antibiotic as a first-choice drug, while others call it a second-choice drug during pregnancy, meaning that it should only be used if there is something to be said against using first-choice drugs.

First-choice drugs are among the first-choice drugs: Antibiotics from the group of penicillins such as amoxicillin or ampicillin and antibiotics from the group of cephalosporins such as cefuroxime or cefixim. There are various home remedies that can relieve the symptoms of cystitis. First of all, it is important to drink enough.

If there is no disease that forbids this, such as severe heart failure (cardiac insufficiency), at least two litres should be drunk a day during a bladder infection. There are numerous bladder and kidney teas (such as the Indian bladder and kidney tea) which are said to have an additional mild anti-inflammatory effect. These can be tried out.

However, water or other teas are said to have a similar effect. The aim is to flush out the pathogens from the urinary tract. In addition to sufficient drinking, a warm hot-water bottle placed on the lower abdomen or a bathtub often provides relief.

Otherwise, adequate physical protection should be provided. However, this does not mean complete bed rest. Quiet walks in the fresh air are almost always good for the body.