Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsFertilityGestationPostpartumFrequently Asked Questions
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Table of Contents
Fertility
Gestation
Postpartum
Frequently Asked Questions
UTIs develop when bacteria enter theurethra(the thin tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body) and infect the urinary tract.Complicated infections that aren’t treated can affect reproductive organs, including the uterus.
Verywell / Joules Garcia
UTIs and Fertility
While UTIs are not usually directly blamed for fertility problems, infertility has been linked to infections of the genital and urinary tracts.
In people with vaginas, even though urine and reproductive fluids don’t share the same passageways, bacteria can travel from the urethra to thevaginaand enter the reproductive tract. This transmission can also happen from the vagina or vulva to the urethra and urinary tract.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia and gonorrheacan result in damage, inflammation, and scarring of the uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes, leading to infertility.
In people with a penis, STIs can enter through the urethra and produce prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate gland). They can affect the testes, epididymis (the duct behind the testis), and other glands. They can damage sperm production, as well as sperm quality and function.They can also cause inflammation that blocks the reproductive tract.
How to Sleep With UTI Discomfort: Home Remedies and Treatments
UTIs and Gestation
Urinary tract infections are common during pregnancy, although only at a slightly increased prevalence. However, due to changes in anatomy and body chemistry, a pregnant person is at higher risk for a UTI to progress to a kidney infection or produce pregnancy complications.
How Common Are UTIs During Pregnancy?The prevalence of UTIs in pregnant people is similar to that in nonpregnant people, at between 2% and 13%.
How Common Are UTIs During Pregnancy?
The prevalence of UTIs in pregnant people is similar to that in nonpregnant people, at between 2% and 13%.
Risks
Due to hormone effects, the smooth muscles that move urine through the urinary tract become relaxed during pregnancy. The growing uterus also can press on the bladder.
Urine also changes during pregnancy, becoming more concentrated, with higher levels of estrogen and glucose that can help to feed bacteria and lower your body’s defenses against infection.
Bacteria that commonly cause UTIs in pregnant people include:
Treatment
If your UTI is diagnosed early, before it has spread to the kidneys—or even your blood—treatment with oral antibiotics, taken for about a week, is usually sufficient. The most common types of antibiotics used to treat UTIs in pregnancy include:
Concerning Symptoms
Untreated urinary tract infections in pregnant people, even if they occur with no symptoms, can lead tokidney infections(pyelonephritis).
Symptoms of UTIs during pregnancy may include:
UTI and Postpartum
A number of infections can occur in the postpartum period. They affect 5%–24% of pregnant people after labor and delivery. The most commonpostpartum infectionsare:
If you have epidural anesthesia for a vaginal delivery, you may also have a urinary catheter placed and therefore be at risk for catheter-associated UTI.
Impact on Recovery
For the first few months of the postpartum period, your immune system is not yet working at full capacity. This means you could be more prone to developing infections, and your body won’t be able to fight them as well as it normally would.
Other challenges of the postpartum period—like adjusting to a new normal, hormonal changes, and the physical demands of caring for a newborn—make this time less than ideal for illness. Infections that cause additional stress and discomfort could result in even more strain.
When You’re Nursing
Summary
A Word From Verywell
What causes a UTI during pregnancy?
How do you treat UTIs during pregnancy?
Antibiotics are used to treat urinary tract infections in both pregnant and nonpregnant people. Which antibiotics are used may be different, though, since not all antibiotics are safe during pregnancy.
When are UTIs common in pregnancy?
UTIs are most common in the second trimester of pregnancy, when your ureter begins to dilate, or expand, in preparation for delivery.
What does a UTI feel like when pregnant?
Many urinary tract infections during pregnancy develop with no symptoms. Symptoms that are present can include burning or pain during urination and urinary frequency or urgency. You may also have fever, chills, and pain and tenderness in your lower abdomen, below the pubic bone.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Urinary tract infection basics.
Schuppe HC, Pilatz A, Hossain H, Diemer T, Wagenlehner F, Weidner W.Urogenital Infection as a Risk Factor for Male Infertility.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 114(19):339-346. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2017.0339
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About gonorrhea.
Lama Linda University.STD related infertility.
Matuszkiewicz-Rowińska J, Małyszko J, Wieliczko M.Urinary tract infections in pregnancy: old and new unresolved diagnostic and therapeutic problems.Arch Med Sci. 11(1):67-77. doi:10.5114/aoms.2013.39202
Szweda H, Jóźwik M.Urinary tract infections during pregnancy - an updated overview.Dev Period Med. 20(4):263-272.
Axelsson D, Blomberg M.Prevalence of postpartum infections: a population-based observational study.Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 93(10):1065-8. doi:10.1111/aogs.12455
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Catheter-associated urinary tract infection.
Groer ME, Jevitt C, Ji M.Immune changes and dysphoric moods across the postpartum.Am J Reprod Immunol. 73(3):193-198. doi:10.1111/aji.12322
Lawrence RM.Transmission of Infectious Diseases Through Breast Milk and Breastfeeding.Breastfeeding. 406-473. doi:10.1016/B978-1-4377-0788-5.10013-6
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Prescription medication use.
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