What does cloudy urine mean during pregnancy? Cloudy urine in a pregnant woman: early stages, second and third trimester. Reasons for the appearance in the early stages

During pregnancy, the doctor periodically sends the expectant mother for various examinations. One of the most common tests done is urine testing. It is resorted to so often because of the simplicity of the procedure, and also because changes in the appearance and composition of urine reflect well the processes taking place in the body. When passing urine for analysis, many women sometimes notice that it looks different from usual. Why does the urine of pregnant women sometimes lose transparency and is it dangerous for a woman and her unborn child?

What should be urine during pregnancy?

Normal urine should be clear. Sometimes it is unclear. If the turbidity is episodic, then there is no cause for concern. Changes in color and temporary loss of transparency are observed after consuming certain foods and vitamins, such as beets or B vitamins. Unlike episodic, persistent cloudiness is not the norm.

Cloudy urine during pregnancy may contain the following substances:

salt;
epithelial cells;
fat droplets;
protein;
vaginal discharge;
pus.

You can determine which of the listed impurities affected the transparency by passing urine for analysis or by doing an express test on strips with an indicator. The second method is often used during routine visits to the gynecologist. It helps to quickly identify the presence of excess sugar, protein, acetone and other substances in the fluid excreted by the kidneys.

Why does urine become cloudy and sediment appear?

A change in the appearance of urine in pregnant women does not always indicate a pathology. In some cases, this happens due to physiological changes that occur during pregnancy.

How to distinguish a dangerous condition from a normal variant? Most processes associated with the release of cloudy urine have additional symptoms that will help determine the source of the problem.

The most common causes of cloudy urine are:

dehydration;
infectious processes of the urinary tract;
late toxicosis (for more details in the article: causes of late toxicosis during pregnancy);
the use of certain foods;
taking medications, vitamins and dietary supplements;
high sugar levels;
hormonal changes;
vaginal discharge.

Early in pregnancy

In the early stages of pregnancy, many women experience nausea after drinking fluids, so they try to limit themselves to drinking. A constant lack of water leads to dehydration and the appearance of cloudy dark urine. Normally, the body of a pregnant woman should receive at least 8-10 glasses of water per day. If in the first trimester the urine becomes cloudy and dark, then it is necessary to pay attention to the amount of liquid drunk per day and, if necessary, adjust the drinking regime.

Another reason for clouding of urine is the presence of inflammation in the urinary tract, which often affects pregnant women in the first months of gestation. The development of inflammation is facilitated by the growing uterus, pressing on the bladder and preventing it from completely emptying. This leads to stagnation, inflammation and the discharge of cloudy urine with sediment. In such cases, the doctor prescribes antibiotics and recommends decoctions of medicinal plants with antiseptic properties. After the infection is cleared, the urine returns to a clear appearance.

In some cases, the violation of transparency is caused by hormones. In the early stages, the levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and estrogen are greatly increased, which affects the appearance of urine. This condition does not require treatment and disappears spontaneously in the second trimester, when the hCG level is no longer as high as in the first weeks of gestation.

In the second and third trimesters

As the fetus grows in the uterus, the kidneys of the pregnant woman begin to experience increased stress and work harder. In some cases, this leads to a malfunction of the urinary system and the appearance of protein. The protein flakes make the urine cloudy. This is one of the symptoms of late toxicosis - a pathological condition that develops in the second and third trimesters. This violation is dangerous for the mother and the fetus, therefore, if the urine becomes clouded and a sediment appears in it, an urgent need to consult a doctor for advice.

During pregnancy, immunity is slightly reduced. This temporary decrease is necessary for easier adaptation of the maternal organism to the presence of the fetus in it. Weakened immunity makes a woman more susceptible to infection, which often leads to fungal or bacterial infection of the genital tract. The resulting abundant vaginal discharge can enter the urine, forming a white sediment in it. For example, white flakes in the urine can be a sign of candidiasis. This fungal disease requires examination and treatment by a specialist.

Is it dangerous?

Not all cases of clouding of urine are dangerous, but many of them can be symptoms of severe disorders and require medical attention. In case of changes in urine, a woman is recommended to undergo a detailed examination, which will help to detect or exclude pathologies that are often found in pregnant women. Be sure to see your doctor if you find your urine is unusual. In some situations, timely seeking help will help save the mother and child from dangerous complications.

Why can there be errors in the analysis results?

According to statistics, laboratory errors occur in 22.6% of cases. Reasons for possible errors in the results:

wrong technique of collecting material for analysis or its improper storage;
incorrect preliminary preparation for analysis;
faulty equipment in the laboratory;
poor quality reagents or errors in their use.

This means that you should not completely rely only on the results of this type of diagnosis. Before making the final diagnosis, the doctor must conduct a detailed survey, send the pregnant woman to an ultrasound scan, and also use other examination methods.

Diagnostic measures

There are several different ways of examining urine in pregnant women. Usually, the diagnosis begins with an express test or a general urinalysis. If the information obtained using the general analysis is incomplete, then the doctor may prescribe additional methods:

analysis according to Nechiporenko (detects cystitis, glomerulonephritis and other inflammatory processes);
kakovsky-Addis analysis (detects impaired renal function);
test for alpha-amylase (used in the diagnosis of diseases of the pancreas).

What to do?

In order to get a more accurate result, the following rules must be observed:

correct drinking regime on the eve of the examination;
exclusion of coloring foods, vitamins and dietary supplements;
thorough intimate hygiene.

It is better to collect urine in the morning, immediately after waking up. When collecting urine for analysis, it is recommended to release the first portion of it into the toilet, and then substitute a clean, dry container and collect the middle portion of urine, and then finish emptying the bladder into the toilet. To prevent the contents of the vagina from entering the urine, its entrance is closed with a piece of clean cotton wool.

When do you need to see a doctor urgently?

A change in the transparency of urine at any stage of pregnancy is a sufficient reason for contacting the clinic. However, there are special cases when you cannot hesitate to visit a doctor. Symptoms indicating dangerous complications:

sudden weight gain;
swelling of the hands, feet and face;
burning sensation or pain when urinating;
unusual smell of discharge;
pain in the abdomen and lumbar region;
cramps in the legs or other parts of the body;
incontinence.

Many are interested in why cloudy urine occurs during pregnancy, and what danger does this phenomenon pose to the health of the expectant mother and her unborn baby? Normally, urine is light and has a yellowish color without impurities. But if the urine is opaque, then the expectant mother, for the sake of safety, her baby and personal, should inform the doctor about it. After all, even if not always, but nevertheless, clouding of the urinary fluid can signal pathologies in the body that require immediate diagnosis and proper treatment.

The color of urine is an indicator of health, and especially during the period of gestation.

What affects the state of urine?

Surely few people know that the first sign of pregnancy is cloudy urine. The symptom appears when the amount of salts in it increases against the background of hormonal adjustments. Changes in the color of urine can occur with improper nutrition, when predominantly salted, spicy and protein foods are consumed. In this regard, urates, oxalates and phosphates are formed in the urinary fluid in large quantities, which make the urine cloudy. Dangerous stones are not a change in the color of urine, but the fact that they are the main reason for the development of inflammatory kidney diseases.

Changes in urine may appear if the expectant mother ate grapes or ate beets, then the urine will take on a reddish tint or even turn white. Turbid urine in pregnant women is often observed with insufficient fluid intake. Every day, every person, including a woman in position, must drink at least 1.5 liters of water per day, this volume includes compotes, teas, decoctions and fruit drinks. Urine changes during pregnancy and as a result of taking pharmaceuticals and vitamins. Sediment in urine in women in position often indicates various diseases. Therefore, if the turbidity persists for 2-3 days, then in order to avoid serious pathologies, you should contact a medical facility.

Rearrangement in the body during gestation

With the onset of pregnancy, significant changes occur in the expectant mother already in the early stages. The hormonal background undergoes strong transformations, but in addition, the kidneys significantly increase in size and the ureters expand. In order to thoroughly filter out toxins from food or medicines entering the body, the kidneys begin to function doubly. Not surprisingly, this is reflected in urine performance.

Sterile urinary fluid should be clear, and if it is with sediment or flakes, then the pregnant woman should be concerned. If there is white sediment in the urine, then this indicates protein or penetration of vaginal secretions into the biological material. So that there are no foreign impurities, you need to use the 2nd portion of urine, and close the opening of the vagina with a cotton swab.

In the early and late stages of gestation, cloudy urine may indicate the presence of foci of inflammation in the body. Turbidity of excrement excreted by the kidneys can also be observed in the presence of lymph. In order to facilitate the course of childbirth and prevent pathologies in the intrauterine development of the fetus, it is important not to self-medicate, but to contact specialists without delay and undergo all the necessary laboratory tests.

Reasons for the appearance in the early stages

Cloudy urine may appear during pregnancy in the first trimester as a result of significant changes in nutrition. With toxicosis, the expectant mother does not want to eat food in the usual quantities, the portions become smaller and taste preferences change, the woman drinks less fluids. As a result, urine acquires a concentrated shade and loses its transparency.

The reasons for cloudy urine lie in food, so excessive consumption of dairy products, chocolate, cocoa and strong tea can affect its transparency. Alkali entering the body in large quantities also leads to the clouding of biological material. They give the turbidity and urates that occur in women who lean on meat dishes. In the early stages, the urine can be cloudy if the future mother collected it incorrectly, namely, did not run the toilet of the genital area, but released the 1st portion of urine into the container.

What is the composition of cloudy urine during pregnancy?

The fluid excreted by the kidneys, which has become cloudy in pregnant women for various reasons, primarily includes a large amount of phosphates. The result of phosphaturia can be such serious consequences:

Turbid urine in pregnancy most commonly includes oxalates.

frequent urge to empty;
discomfort, itching and irritating sensation of heat when going to the toilet in a small way;
the formation of calculi in the kidneys;
inflammatory lesions;
dysfunction of the urinary system.

The components of turbid urine are calcium oxalate crystals (oxalates). During pregnancy, they often occur in lovers of chocolates, cocoa drinks, coffee, as well as other products that contain oxalic acid. With oxalates, a pregnant woman may complain of pain during emptying and cramps in the lower abdomen. The urinary fluid becomes cloudy during pregnancy and with urates, which are formed through improper nutrition. In addition, the composition of turbid urine is often diagnosed with pathogenic bacteria, lymph, gases and an increased content of white blood cells.

Treatment and preventive measures

Before returning the transparency to the urine, the patient will need to be tested. If the urinary fluid becomes cloudy as a result of the taken vitamins or the food eaten, then the biological material should be re-collected for analysis and provoking factors should be excluded. If during pregnancy the urine becomes cloudy for other reasons, then you need to undergo a course of treatment prescribed by a doctor, which often includes taking approved medicines and folk remedies. Prevention consists in unquestioning adherence to doctor's prescriptions, adherence to diet, personal hygiene and avoidance of stressful situations.

Sooner or later, a moment comes in a woman's life when she prepares to become a mother. Of course, every mother wants to see her child growing up cheerful and healthy, and this largely depends on the health status of the expectant mother herself during the pregnancy. Therefore, in such a crucial period, monitoring of the state of health should be especially careful - regular visits to the gynecologist, the timely implementation of all the doctor's recommendations and monitoring the condition with the help of tests is mandatory.

A urine test, along with a blood test, is the most informative for assessing the general condition of the body, therefore, women in position are prescribed it regularly. If everything is normal - the liquid is light yellow, transparent and without any noticeable impurities in it, but if the shade of urine becomes significantly darker than usual, it becomes cloudy, an unpleasant odor arises, it is worth conducting an examination to find out the reasons for this behavior of the body. You may need medical attention. For the most part, such symptoms characterize the state of pathological processes in the kidneys, bladder or urethra.

Possible causes of discoloration and clarity of urine

Urine is a liquid formed in the glomeruli of the kidneys during the filtration of blood plasma. Accordingly, the study of its physical and chemical parameters can provide valuable information for accurate diagnosis of both the general condition of the body and, specifically, the urinary system.

Most often, urine analysis is carried out according to the general clinical method, which allows you to determine the following indicators of urine:

Visual - color, transparency;
Specific gravity (density);
The presence and amount of protein compounds;
The presence and amount of glucose (sugar);
Type and number of epithelial formations;
The presence of blood cells - leukocytes, erythrocytes and their number in the field of view.

In a healthy woman, glucose and proteins in the urine are not detected at all, or their amount is extremely scanty, but the opposite, most likely, indicates problems. For example, sugar in urine is a frequent companion of diabetes, so if it is found, you should be tested for this disease. But an increase in protein in the urine of a pregnant woman may indicate a specific complication - gestosis, which requires qualified medical care due to possible complications. Blood cells in the urine of a woman carrying a baby can also tell a lot. For example, it is considered normal if no more than 6 leukocytes in the field of view are detected in the urine sample, but the presence of erythrocytes is not normal even in minimal quantities.

Causes of loss of urine transparency in women carrying a child

Cloudy urine during pregnancy, fortunately, is far from always pathological in nature, but this is not a reason to dismiss such symptoms - the cause must be established precisely.

If the analysis shows that the turbidity of the urine of a pregnant woman is due to undissolved salts, epithelial cells or mucus, there is no particular reason for excitement, however, provided that the described components are present in the urine within the borderline permissible limits. But if purulent clots, pathogenic microorganisms or blood cells are found, then this is already an alarming bell. Such symptoms, with an almost 100% guarantee, indicate dangerous pathological processes requiring immediate diagnosis and medical intervention.

Natural factors that can lead to changes in the clarity of urine

The state of pregnancy is accompanied by a radical restructuring of the functioning of all systems of the woman's body, therefore, some changes in your usual norms are quite natural. The state of urine is no exception, especially in early pregnancy. Most often, cloudy urine during pregnancy is the result of changes in the diet and the consequences of toxicosis.

Increased consumption of dairy products may well lead to the formation of urine with a cloudy sediment, and with regards to toxicosis, frequent vomiting and a sharp loss of appetite lead to a sharp dehydration of the body and an increase in urine density, and this causes it to darken and become cloudy.

Excessive consumption of chocolate, cocoa, strong black tea also causes the accumulation of oxalate deposits in the urine and loss of urine transparency.

Cloudy urine with a noticeable brown tint may be due to an excess of animal proteins in the diet. This causes the formation of urate in the urine and the appearance of the corresponding symptoms.

For women with frequent heartburn, clouding of urine is often a side effect. It is caused by the large amount of soda consumed to extinguish the symptoms of heartburn.

It is not uncommon for the urine to be examined to fail the transparency test due to improper collection of its sample. It can be clogged with vaginal discharge or genital microflora.

Urine status in early pregnancy

As a rule, such symptoms indicate the presence of inflammatory foci in the urethra. Most often these are:

Cystitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the walls of the bladder. The catalyst for such a process can be an introduced infection, which is rapidly multiplying against the background of stagnant processes. Cystitis leads to the occurrence of cuts during urination and disruption of its usual cycle;
Pyelonephritis. Cloudy urine during pregnancy is quite common in a patient with this condition. It is an inflammation of the renal pelvis and calyces and in the overwhelming majority of cases is caused by E. coli brought in from the large intestine.

Pyelonephritis is a curable disease, but it is dangerous for a pregnant woman, therefore, during this period it is worth treating the hygiene of the genitourinary organs especially carefully.

Risks for a woman in position

If the cloudy urine during pregnancy does not acquire a normal color, this is a reason to be seriously examined. Failure to diagnose the disease in time can lead to the development of urogenic sepsis in a number of body systems and its organs and cause irreversible changes in them.

Among other things, there is a high risk of intrauterine infection of the fetus, which can lead to inhibition of its development, the formation of various pathologies, and in severe cases, even to its death.

What to do if the urine has lost its transparency

First of all, it is worth revising your diet towards minimizing the amount of salt you eat. The diet of a pregnant woman must necessarily include eggs, lean meat (preferably boiled beef), fish and a sufficient amount of fruit. Best of all - apples, plums, apricots and raisins. It's a good idea to carry out the procedure for removing excess salts from the body. Here are some of the recipes:

The simplest way is to drink birch sap daily;
Make juice from celery root and drink half a teaspoon three times a day;
In the morning, on an empty stomach, take a mixture of honey, lemon juice and olive oil, mixed in equal proportions.

Such recipes are not a panacea, they are able to normalize only small deviations from the norm, therefore, if, despite taking such funds, the urine continues to be cloudy for a long time, you cannot do without a professional. An examination by a urologist is mandatory.

Cloudy urine during pregnancy is often the first sign of an infection of the excretory system. During gestation, the body of the expectant mother receives an additional load on all systems, the working organs may not be able to cope with it. This is especially true when there is a history of kidney or bladder disease. Often the pathological process begins its course hidden, without a vivid clinical picture. The only way to identify such cases is to study urine indicators.

Physiological and pathological causes

Why is urine cloudy during pregnancy? What does it mean? Any woman expecting a baby asks herself similar questions when faced with a bad test result.

The reasons for the appearance of sediment in the urine during pregnancy can be divided into physiological, associated with bearing a child and pathological, caused by dysfunction of the excretory system.

Of the physiological factors, it should be noted that the analysis is incorrectly collected, when vaginal discharge enters the jar along with the liquid. To avoid the appearance of cloudy urine in pregnant women in this case, you must adhere to simple rules. Use only disposable containers purchased from a pharmacy or medical facility. Toilet the external genitalia thoroughly before collection, without using soap or other detergents. Hand over only morning urine (this should be a medium portion, that is, first you need to urinate past, then into a jar, and finally empty the bladder back into the toilet).
During pregnancy, cloudy urine is due to a change in eating habits in a woman. Products such as chocolate, coffee containing drinks, fresh spinach leaves, sorrel, tomatoes, beets, and grapes affect the degree of urine transparency. Also spicy, salty foods, marinades. The reason may be insufficient fluid intake. Normally, you need to consume at least 2 liters of liquid per day (this includes water, tea, compote, juices and soups).
Morning urine is not perfectly clear. Do not be afraid, this is a normal physiological phenomenon. This happens because at night no additional fluid enters the body, this leads to the concentration of urine, a change in its color characteristics, including transparency.

Pathological factors

Among the pathology options that can lead to a change in transparency and the appearance of turbidity of urine, one can distinguish:

toxicosis in early pregnancy;
development of late gestosis;
infectious diseases of the urinary system: pyelonephritis, cystitis, urethritis;
urolithiasis, with the formation of calculi in the kidneys, urethra, or bladder.

Patients with a history of diseases of the urinary apparatus should additionally be under the supervision of a nephrologist or urologist. If you experience alarming symptoms (cloudy urine, painful urination), you should immediately consult a specialist. This may be a sign of an exacerbation of a chronic process.

Read also on the topic

Why do women have cloudy urine?

Changes in transparency by gestation period

In the early stages, a pregnant woman may show signs of toxicosis in the first half of pregnancy. At the same time, the diet and the quality of the food consumed are violated, there is a lack of fluid in the body. To correct this condition, obstetrician-gynecologists prescribe certain drugs. Together, these factors lead to the fact that urine may become cloudy. If there is no bacterial infection, then there is no cause for concern. This is one of the signs of pregnancy.
In the second trimester, a change in urine parameters is accompanied by symptoms of gestosis, in this case, hospitalization to the antenatal department is indicated for further observation and the appointment of adequate treatment. Such situations are life-threatening for both the fetus and the pregnant woman.
In the third trimester, the uterus displaces the bladder beyond the pelvic border. The walls of the organ undergo some changes in order to be able to withstand the increasing pressure from the pregnant uterus. For the same reason, obstruction of the ureters and concentration of urine with further clouding may develop. In such a situation, surgical intervention is indicated, the purpose of which is to restore the normal outflow of urine. Ureteral catheterization is performed (catheters are removed after delivery).

What elements make urine cloudy?

When conducting a study of biological fluids, laboratory assistants pay attention to certain indicators in the urine of pregnant women:

The presence of salts. An increase in their concentration indicates the appearance of sand or stones in the kidneys, bladder. The following salts can be found: oxalates, purines, phosphates, urates. The provoking factor is metabolic disturbances or difficulties in urine discharge.
An increase in the content of certain minerals (phosphorus, calcium).
Conversely, a decrease in phosphate concentration contributes to the clouding of the biological fluid.
Red blood cells (erythrocytes). They appear as a result of excessive exercise, trauma to the ureters by moving stones, exacerbation of chronic pyelonephritis, acute cystitis, and the presence of glomerulonephritis.
The increased content of leukocytes. It indicates the development of the inflammatory process.
Lymphatic fluid. It enters the urine by diffusion in small amounts.
Desquamated epithelial cells. They can come from the bladder or vagina. In the first case, this is a sign of bacterial inflammation, in the second, it is a sign of incorrect collection of the analysis.
The presence of a protein fraction (gives a white precipitate). Causes of appearance: high physical activity, late gestosis, kidney disease.
Changed pH. The acidity of urine changes due to dysfunction of the thyroid gland, fever, insufficient intake of potassium into the body.
An increase in the concentration of opportunistic bacteria.

Diagnostic measures

What symptoms should pregnant women pay attention to: an increase in the amount of urination during the day, pain or discomfort in the bladder, in the lumbar region, pain during urination, blood in the urine, the appearance of a white sediment when standing, fever.

After a detailed collection of complaints, anamnesis and examination of the patient, the specialist issues directions for additional tests and examinations. What they might include:

performing a general urine test;
research on Nechiporenko;
collection of daily urine output;
bacterial culture of urine with determination of sensitivity to antibiotics;
ultrasound examination of the kidneys.

Further tactics depends on the factor that caused the change in urine indicators, and on the results of the examination.

Read also on the topic

Why can protein increase in urine during pregnancy?

Treatment

Therapy for cloudy urine during pregnancy depends on the cause of the condition:

If the cause of turbid urine during pregnancy is in the development of acute or exacerbation of chronic cystitis, pyelonephritis, then antibiotic therapy is indicated. In this case, patients with a diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis are treated in a specialized department of a general hospital.
A complex treatment is prescribed, which includes antibiotics (from the group of penicillins, cephalosporins), uroseptics (kanephron, brusniver, cyston, kidney tea) and antispasmodics (papaverine suppositories, no-shpa tablets). Nurofen and paracetamol are used to relieve fever. When treating in a day hospital, intramuscular administration can be used, when treating on an outpatient basis, preference is given to tablets.
In the treatment of cystitis, amoxiclav, ampicillin or monural are used in combination with uroseptics. Strict adherence to dietary recommendations is recommended: the exclusion of confectionery, various marinades, spicy and salty foods, carbonated drinks.
If the cause is such a complication of pregnancy as preeclampsia of the second half, then therapy is aimed at correcting it. With gestosis of moderate severity, treatment in a day hospital is indicated. An intravenous drip of magnesium sulfate (magnesia), drugs that affect the placental blood flow, is prescribed. Severe gestosis is treated in the antenatal department of the maternity hospital.
If symptoms of toxicosis appear in the early stages of pregnancy, then there is no cause for concern. It is enough to follow the recommendations of the district gynecologist and regularly take a general urine test to control the situation. No additional treatment is required. But patients with acute cystitis or acute pyelonephritis in history are often prescribed herbal uroseptics for preventive purposes (cranberry or lingonberry juice, phytolysin, lingonberry leaf decoction).
Patients are also advised to follow dietary recommendations, observe a drinking regimen (no more than 2 liters of liquid per day). Of the drugs, uroseptics with a diuretic effect (kanefron in drops, zhuravit, phytolysin) are prescribed to combat edema, antihypertensive drugs in the presence of concomitant arterial hypertension (dopegit), drugs that improve uteroplacental blood flow (angiovitis, curantil, vitamin E).
If the reason why cloudy urine is found during pregnancy is in the errors of the diet, then it is enough to change the eating behavior. The following products are recommended for use: birch sap; lean meat; boiled fish; egg; baked apples; dried fruits (raisins); plums; apricots; potatoes.

Turbid urine with sediment during pregnancy does not always indicate the presence of a pathological reaction in the body. This can be either a variant of the norm or physiologically justified deviations. If suspicious symptoms appear, you should contact a specialist (gynecologist, urologist or nephrologist) to make sure that the situation is safe. It is categorically not worthwhile to self-medicate or use folk schemes. This can lead to intrauterine complications in a pregnant woman (placental insufficiency, intrauterine growth retardation syndrome, hypoxia, malnutrition).

Feeling herself pregnant, a woman tries to take care of her health, because the state of the unborn child may depend on this. She should undergo periodic screening, which must include a clinical urinalysis. The study, it would seem, is rather trivial, but it still provides valuable information about the processes occurring in the body, and allows you to identify various disorders. For example, a woman is often faced with the fact that her urine becomes cloudy. In such a situation, the following questions arise: why is this observed during pregnancy, how it manifests itself and what needs to be done.

General information

Urine is essentially a blood ultrafiltrate. And it contains not only metabolic products to be removed from the body, but also other substances. Urine has a rather complex composition, including various organic and inorganic components:

Urochromes.
Uric acid.
Urea.
Creatinine.
Alpha amylase.
Electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chlorine).
Salts (urates, phosphates, oxalates).
Protein.
Corpuscular elements of blood (leukocytes, erythrocytes).
Epithelial cells.

Substances are excreted into urine by glomerular filtration or secretion. Some of them are absorbed back (reabsorbed), passing through the tubules. Components with a high molecular weight (protein, shaped elements) poorly penetrate through the "kidney filter", therefore they are found only in trace amounts or in single specimens. The salts are mostly in a dissolved state, not in the form of crystals.

In addition to microscopic and biochemical parameters, in urine analysis, physical indicators are necessarily assessed: color, transparency, odor, specific gravity, acidity (pH). This is necessary to obtain a more complete picture of possible pathology and to establish causal relationships between individual changes.

In the composition of urine, various substances are found that can affect the physical parameters of the biological fluid.

During pregnancy

Given that a woman's body is in a new state during pregnancy, many will also see a relationship with changes in laboratory tests. So is it really, or there are other explanations for why urine may become cloudy, remains to be seen with a detailed examination of the problem.

Norm

The analysis of urine during the period of gestation should not differ significantly from that of non-pregnant women. And this applies to most parameters, including transparency. There should be no turbidity under physiological conditions. In the urine during pregnancy, all the same substances are found in quantities and proportions that do not go beyond the permissible values.

The unit of transparency is the height of the liquid column, when viewed through which the printed text is visible. In the laboratory, they do this: pour urine into a measuring cylinder to the level of 10-15 ml and, looking from above, try to read something on the paper underneath. The degree of turbidity is determined subjectively:

Full transparency - the text is easily visible.
Weak haze - only medium and large print is read.
Moderate turbidity - beech fuzziness.
Pronounced turbidity - the letters do not differ at all.

It is quite clear that only the first value corresponds to the norm. Sometimes the concept of incomplete transparency is also distinguished. During pregnancy, this is possible due to mucus or epithelial cells entering the urine, as well as vaginal discharge. But it has not yet reached the level of weak turbidity.

Turbidity

When cloudy urine appeared during pregnancy, this definitely does not fit into the concept of the norm. If such changes were identified by a woman on her own, then you should consult a doctor and conduct an unscheduled analysis. And if the transparency in the urine has decreased during the next screening, the doctor will prescribe an additional examination.

Cloudy urine should be a signal to see a doctor and carry out diagnostic measures.

The reasons

The main thing for a woman is to know what caused the turbidity. Remembering which substances can affect the transparency of urine, one can make an assumption about an increase in some of them, namely:

Leukocytes.
Erythrocytes.
Squirrel.
Salt.
Epithelium.
Mucus.

These are the components that may be present in the norm, but only in trace amounts. But bacteria in the urine during pregnancy (bacteriuria), as well as an increase in the listed elements, clearly indicate some kind of pathological process. A similar assumption can be made when lymph (chyluria) or lipids (lipiduria) are detected.

A change in clarity can also be observed when the pH of the urine changes as salts begin to crystallize. An acidic environment promotes the formation of urates and oxalates. A white sediment in the urine can appear due to the loss of phosphates when the balance is deviated to the alkaline side.

In real conditions, a combination of several factors is most often observed. As a rule, the causes of cloudy urine during pregnancy include various pathologies of the excretory system:

Pyelonephritis.
Glomerulonephritis.
Cystitis.
Urethritis.
Urolithiasis (nephrolithiasis).
Polycystic, etc.

In most cases, one has to deal with one or another inflammatory process in the urinary organs. Nephrolithiasis can be preceded for a long time by a condition called salt diathesis, when calculi in the kidneys have not yet formed, but an increased amount of inorganic sediment is found in the urine. A woman should also be examined for diseases of other organs and systems, for example, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, liver pathology, general and gynecological infections.

In addition to dangerous conditions, slightly cloudy urine during pregnancy can be the result of dietary errors or a woman's individual nutritional preferences. For example, an increase in alkalinity and phosphates is observed with the use of dairy products, and urates are found in those who like to eat meat. Overuse of chocolate, coffee, tea and cocoa should be prepared for oxalates in their urine.

You also need to pay attention to how the urine was collected for analysis, because not all women know even simple rules. For example, leukocytes can penetrate from the vagina if they are poorly washed, and bacteria are found in contaminated containers. Due to long-term storage of urine, salts fall out in it and turbidity appears, which was not there before.

To find out the cause of the turbidity of urine in a woman in position, one should sort out many factors that provoke a decrease in its transparency.

Symptoms

Any pathology has some symptoms, and turbidity of urine is only one of them. As a rule, doctors who monitor the course of pregnancy have to deal with inflammatory diseases of the urinary system. In turn, they give a clinical picture, consisting of the following signs:

Pain in the lower back or above the pubis.
Cramps when urinating, frequent urge (dysuria).
Temperature increase.

The urine also undergoes other changes: its quantity increases or decreases, the color becomes dark or reddish. With glomerulonephritis, edema appears and blood pressure rises. All this adversely affects the course of pregnancy itself. Women with kidney disease are at increased risk of preeclampsia, premature termination, bleeding, and infection in the postpartum period. Therefore, it is important to notice the first symptoms of the disease in time.

Additional diagnostics

The source of the problem will be clear with a full examination of the pregnant woman. The diagnostic program is determined by the results of the initial examination and, in addition to the general analysis of urine, may include various laboratory and instrumental methods:

Clinical blood test.
Blood biochemistry (urea, creatinine, electrolytes, indicators of inflammation, glucose, hormones, etc.).
Urine analysis according to Nechiporenko and Zimnitsky.
Bacterial urine culture.
Antibiotic susceptibility testing.
Ultrasound of the kidneys and bladder.

If the doctor suggests other diseases, then the examination will be appropriate. A woman is examined by a gynecologist, urologist (nephrologist), sometimes an endocrinologist is required. And according to the results of the diagnosis, it will become clear why the urine is cloudy and how to proceed. Then the doctor will formulate a treatment program for the pregnant woman, taking into account her condition and the nature of the pathology. Sometimes you just need to change your lifestyle, and the analysis will return to normal.