During pregnancy, the woman’s body undergoes major changes aimed at the successful bearing of a healthy baby. During this period, all organs work with a double load in order to support the body of not only the expectant mother, but also the child. During the period of carrying a baby, a woman should constantly take tests. They help to see any deviations from the norm, which will allow you to start the appropriate therapy on time. One of them is urinalysis. During pregnancy, it is very important. It is not always good. Sometimes after receiving its results, the question arises: what does sugar in urine mean during pregnancy?
Why sugar rises
The kidneys are an organ that plays a huge role in the normal functioning of the body. During pregnancy, they have to work on two organisms. There may be situations when failures occur in the kidneys, which lead to a violation of their full-fledged work. During this period, tests may show the presence of sugar in the urine. This is not always a pathology. Sugar in the urine during pregnancy can increase due to the large consumption of sweets.
But as a rule, such an analysis indicates a certain pathology. Increased sugar in the urine during pregnancy indicates a critical amount of glucose. Glucose is our body’s energy source. A growing baby requires a lot of energy, so the mother's body increases its level in the blood. But it happens that some systems malfunction and glucose levels increase dramatically. The cause of this may be a malfunction of the pancreas, which should control the level of glucose. In this case, the excess is excreted in the urine, which is displayed in the analysis results.
Causes of Sugar in Urine
The main causes of sugar in the urine during pregnancy are:
- Diabetes. This is a very dangerous disease that requires treatment. But if he was diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy, we can talk about a gestational type of disease. In this case, about a month after the birth, the condition stabilizes and the diagnosis is removed. But such a case requires very careful observation and implementation of all the recommendations of the attending physician.
- Any kidney disease.
- Endocrine diseases, due to which not enough insulin is produced to regulate the amount of glucose in the blood.
- Improper nutrition, which is dominated by sweets and a lot of sugar.
- Low physical activity.
The norm of sugar in urine during pregnancy
Normally, in healthy people there is no sugar in the urine. Sometimes there is a slight increase in values called traces. In this case, an additional analysis and control of the doctor is prescribed. What is the norm of sugar in urine?
- Less than 1.69 mmol / liter is the normal level.
- Up to 2.79 mmol / liter - the so-called traces of glucose. Marked as a normal indicator, but require control.
- Above 2.79 mmol / liter - excess of the norm.
An increase in the values above 3 mmol / liter cannot be allowed, as this is fraught with very serious consequences, in which insulin is not produced in sufficient quantities for normal functioning of the body. And during pregnancy, such a condition can very negatively affect the fetus and the body of the mother herself, and cause serious consequences.
Symptoms of sugar in the urine
In the case of an increase in glucose levels, the symptoms are very blurred, but for some signs you need to pay attention and consult a doctor.
- Constant increase in appetite.
- Frequent urination.
- Constant feeling of tiredness and drowsiness.
- Sharp jumps in weight.
- Constant thirst.
- Irritability.
If a repeated positive sugar test is added to these symptoms, you need to immediately begin restorative therapy.
Diagnostics
Diagnose the presence of sugar in the urine begins at a period of 24-27 weeks using a general analysis. If the result is positive, then for a clearer picture, a glucose test is performed. In this case, a woman needs to drink glucose diluted with water on an empty stomach. According to the test results, they can prescribe a diet or drug treatment.
It is important to know how to pass urine for sugar during pregnancy. As a rule, morning urine collection is prescribed after hygiene procedures. If, according to the results of several analyzes, there is no reliable result, you will need to pass the average daily urine. For this, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., material is collected for analysis. Then throughout the day the jar needs to be kept at a temperature not exceeding 18 degrees. For delivery, you need about 200 ml. To conduct urinalysis during pregnancy, as in normal cases, you need to use only a sterile container.
About a day you can’t eat sweet foods, as this can adversely affect the reliability of the result.
An additional analysis is carried out on the level of glucose in the blood.
Risk categories
There are certain categories of people who may be prone to diabetes. In these cases, you need to more closely monitor your health and timely take tests:
- Women who have already had gestational diabetes in past pregnancies.
- With multiple pregnancy.
- Women older than 30 years, since with age, the risk of developing diabetes increases significantly.
- If there is or a tendency to urinary tract diseases.
- Overweight women.
- If a large child was born in a previous pregnancy.
- If there were problems in past pregnancies.
Why is it dangerous to increase sugar in the urine?
A condition in which sugar in the urine during pregnancy is elevated can lead to serious consequences for both mother and baby. If slight traces are observed, this is not a dangerous condition, only medical supervision is required and, if necessary, corrective therapy. A pathological condition that requires immediate treatment is a significant increase in sugar level or its frequent elevated rates.
The presence of sugar in the urine during pregnancy can lead to impaired development of organs and systems of the fetus, the likelihood of having a baby with a large body weight increases, which can cause complications during childbirth. Also, this pathology provokes jaundice in the newborn child, underdevelopment of the lungs, and neurological disorders. Gestational diabetes sometimes translates into type 2 diabetes after childbirth. The dangerous consequences of an increase in sugar in the urine are high blood pressure and swelling, which is why there is a high probability of developing gestosis.
Treatment
Mostly sugar in the urine during pregnancy appears due to malnutrition and an inactive lifestyle. If abnormalities are found in the test results, a special diet is recommended, which excludes sweet foods, fatty foods and fruits such as bananas and grapes. You should give preference to vegetables, low-fat meats and fish and dairy products that do not contain sugar. Diet should be low carb, with the exception of complex carbohydrates. It is recommended to eat in small portions. Do not skip meals.
In the event that sugar in the urine continues to grow, the doctor prescribes insulin therapy in the form of injections, as diabetes tablets are strictly prohibited during pregnancy. Do not be afraid of the use of medicines, since injectable insulin preparations do not penetrate the fetus. After childbirth, both mother and baby will be observed for some time by the endocrinologist.
Reduce the amount of sugar in the urine and physical activity. During pregnancy, you can slowly walk and do special yoga, allowed in this condition.
In any case, in order to find out how to reduce sugar in the urine during pregnancy, you must always consult your doctor, who will prescribe the optimal treatment in your case. Do not neglect trips to the hospital and violate the schedule for passing the necessary tests.
Prevention
Prevention is very important in preventing disease. It is especially worthwhile to pay attention to women at risk of diabetes:
- First you need to not miss a doctor’s examinations and take all the necessary tests in time to control sugar in your urine or blood. This will reveal an increase at the initial level. In this case, timely started therapy will help to avoid dangerous consequences.
- Also, do not neglect the small physical activities that your doctor will approve.
- You need to control your weight, eat right.
Forecast
If the increase in sugar in the urine has a gestational type, then, as a rule, after some time after pregnancy, the condition returns to normal. It is only important to adhere to a certain diet.
If an increase provoked any disease, the prognosis will also be positive provided that the doctor's recommendations are followed.
The situation when a woman discovered diabetes during pregnancy requires more in-depth treatment, sometimes with medication. In this case, the prognosis may be positive in the case of adequate therapy and the implementation of all the recommendations given by the doctor.
Conclusion
Pregnancy is a very happy, but at the same time very responsible period, requiring the future mother to be very attentive to her body. Indeed, sometimes even minor symptoms can talk about a beginning pathology, which can harm not only the woman herself, but also the child. Timely started therapy and preventive measures can nullify the consequences of many diseases, curing them at the initial stage of occurrence. It is important to listen to your doctor, go through all the planned procedures and take tests. You should not ignore even a slight, at first glance, symptom of poor health, in order to avoid dangerous consequences.