Hello and welcome to the zero to finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about urinary tract infections in pregnancy.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero to finals.com slash UTI in pregnancy or in the antinatal care section of the zero to finals, obstetrics,

and gynecology book. So let's get straight into it. A lower urinary tract infection involves infection

in the bladder causing cystitis, which is inflammation of the bladder.

An upper urinary tract infection involves infection to the kidneys, causing pylenephritis.

Pregnant women are at higher risk of developing lower urinary tract infections and pylenephritis,

compared with non-pregnant women.

Urinary tract infections in pregnant women increase the risk of preterm delivery.

They may also increase the risk of other adverse pregnancy outcomes such as a low birth weight and preeclampsia.

Let's talk about asymptomatic bacteria urea.

Asymptomatic bacteria urea refers to bacteria present in the urine without symptoms of infection.

Pregnant women with asymptomatic bacteria urea are at higher risk of developing lower urinary tract infections and pylenephritis, and subsequently they're at higher risk of preterm

birth.

Randomly testing for bacteria in the urine of asymptomatic patients is not usually recommended,

as it may lead to unnecessary antibiotics.

Pregnant women are an exception to this rule due to the adverse outcomes associated with

infection in pregnancy.

Let's talk about the presentation.

Lower urinary tract infections present with dysuria, which is pain, stinging or burning

when passing urine, superpubic pain or discomfort, increased frequency of urination, urgency of urination having to go all of a sudden,

incontinence of urine and hematuria, which is blood in the urine.

Pylonephritis, which is when the urinary tract infection has spread up to the kidneys,

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