How do I not know?

[rufalina]

That I have a UTI? Dont you get symptoms?

The last time I had one I certainly knew about it... Pain, blood, etc... but I have nothing atm that I know of.

I just had a call from my OBs office to say I have one, and need antibiotics for it...

Is there any harm to the baby considering I am still early days? I have antibiotics for it (keflex) which I think are cat B so ok, and I assume better to take to kill the virus?

And anything I can do to prevent another????

TIA!

[jaspen]

i had one with my first - about the same time as you and had no idea - i'd never knowingly had one in the past either - i took the antibiotics and was fine and so was bubs - as far as not getting any more i can't really help - i think water, cranberry juice plus emptying bladder fully and regularly etc can help but i didn't get any more during that pregnancy that i knew about.

hope it goes quickly

[Lenny]

Cranberry juice is the way to go. You can take it when you don't have a UTI and it can help prevent it, as well as clearing it up if you do. There are cranberry capsules too i think, but you would have to see if they were ok when UTD.

Drink lots of fluid /water too, i think.

[SamiH]

Hun, if there was any risk to bub I am sure your Ob would have said, same for the anti's that you are on etc.

Rest up, and drink the cranberry juice and plenty of water to flush it out.

Congrats again on your little bean

[rufalina]

Thanks girls. Hydrating as we speak. I guess I have been a bit slack on the water intake...

[Ginger]

i had one once and didn't know. only symptom was urinating frequently.
i had one early on in my pg with ds1, took antibiotics and it all turned out fine.

[pucci]

Always make sure you pee after sex as well.

[briggsy's girl]

Ruf
have they confirmed from Lab results that there was actually bacteria present? or is it only from the white blood cell count in your pee test with them??

i have been told three times now this pg that i have UTI's - first two i caved and took the Keflex cos i was told i had to (and then struggled with thrush cos of the ab's!) - last week i was told again i have a UTI, i refused the ab's until the lab confirmed an infection. apparently i'd get the info today if there was an infection - nothing there! or if there is, the ob hasn't bothered to call...

both previous samples confirmed no infection - just wbc's - likely from inflammation of the ureter (sex. baby bouncing on bladder) - i'll see Ob on wednesday if i dont' hear before but i'm pretty sure i don't ahve a UTI cos it's symptomless (again!) - if you're not sure, check HOW they diagnosed. you can have symptomless infection in pregnancy but it's not that common. if you're not comfy taking the ab's - ask for confirmation!

keep hydrating, use sugarless cranberry juice or ural to flush your system...

hope it's nothing major

BG

[Rooey5]

i took the antibiotics and was fine and so was bubs - as far as not getting any more i can't really help - i think water, cranberry juice plus emptying bladder fully and regularly etc can help

I'm a nurse, and that's pretty much the advice I'd give. Lots of fluids! Cranberry juice is wonderful for UTI's

[Rooey5]

if you're not sure, check HOW they diagnosed.

I'm not sure what the process for diagnosing UTI's with your GP would be, but in the hospital we dip a test strip into a midstream urine sample and look for nitrates and leucocytes. If they show up in a midstream urine sample it's a pretty definitive diagnosis of a UTI. We then send the sample to the lab for a more detailed analysis, but that's really just to confirm what we already know and to make sure there are no other nasties we can't identify on the test strip present.

But that's the hospital way, could be much different with your GP

[briggsy's girl]

i had the dip test show up an infection twice. Twice the lab result said no. So twice i took ab's suffered thrush terribly, and twice the doctors agreed that i needn't have taken them. The dip test isn't infallible. I'm a walking example of this. I don't often go against the gp - or the hospital as was the case on friday. But being told i had a uti and would get the call from the ob on mon to confirm lab results and need for ab's and having NOT received said call i'm thinking ties is, yet again, no uti and i was going to be put on ab's and the resultant thrush treatment at 38 weeks for no infection at all. This is why i suggested getting confirmation from the lab. I see no point in taking ab's and having thrush that you have to treat as well if there is no infection

[Rooey5]

I agree it's not infallible. In my experience I haven't seen it show up a UTI that wasn't later diganosed by the lab anyway. I'm sure that it happens though.

Like I said, the method used by a GP could be totally different to what we do in the hospital, and the brand of test strip used may also be different. For our purpose it's a good, quick little diagnostic tool