What to do if salts are found in urine during pregnancy?

The appearance of various salt crystals in urinary sediment during pregnancy is quite common. For many expectant mothers, this condition causes real panic. This article will help mothers understand the peculiarities of the appearance of salts in urine during pregnancy.

What does this mean?

Normal readings in urinalysis are very important during pregnancy. Doctors prescribe this study to expectant mothers several times during the entire time they are carrying babies.

The simplicity of performing this study allows it to be used to diagnose a wide variety of pathological conditions, which may indicate the presence of a problem in both the mother's body and her baby.

Increased salt value in a pregnant woman should be a reason for contacting an unscheduled consultation with a gynecologist. Normally, various salt crystals may periodically precipitate in the urinary sediment, but they should not accumulate. The constant significant excess of these indicators over the norm indicates that certain violations occur in the body of the expectant mother. Most often they are associated with disorders of chemical metabolism.

Causes of occurrence

A variety of causal factors can lead to the precipitation of salt crystals in the urinary sediment. Quite often, several such reasons affect the body of a future mother at once. A long-term increase in the level of salts in the urinary sediment can even lead to the development of various diseases of the kidneys or urinary tract in a pregnant woman.

During pregnancy, such pathological conditions are very dangerous, as they can affect the correct intrauterine development of the fetus.

Causes:

Diet change - a common reason why various salts appear in the urinary sediment of a pregnant woman. There is an opinion that the majority of expectant mothers, while carrying babies, have a strong craving for various salty foods. They contain quite a lot of table salt or sodium chloride. The increased use of such a substance contributes to the disruption of metabolic processes in the body of a pregnant woman, which can lead to the loss of various crystals in the urinary sediment.
Expectant mothers living in magnesium-deficient regions may also experience metabolic disorders... In this case, the magnesium-calcium balance is significantly disturbed. Ultimately, this situation contributes to the appearance of specific salt crystals in the urine.

The development of various disorders of metabolic processes also leads to taking improperly selected multivitamin complexes... The use of such drugs contributes to an inadequate intake of essential vitamins and minerals. The composition of some multivitamin complexes may not be optimal, especially in cases where the pregnant woman has any concomitant chronic diseases of internal organs.
Having a family history to the formation of various crystals in the urinary sediment can also provoke the development of specific changes in a pregnant woman. In this case, even before pregnancy, she shows similar disorders. A similar tendency to precipitation of crystals in the urinary sediment, as a rule, is also detected in close relatives of a pregnant woman.

In some cases, the appearance of specific changes in the urine can lead and great use of various fruits and vegetables. The most "dangerous" in this situation are fruits rich in oxalic acid. Their excessive use leads to the fact that specific salt crystals appear in the urine of pregnant women.

Salt types

Salt crystals can be very different.

Phosphates

Quite often, phosphates appear in the urinary sediment in a pregnant woman. This state is called phosphaturia. This makes the pH of the urine alkaline. Normal urine is slightly acidic.

Phosphates in urinary sediment can manifest themselves in a wide variety of conditions. This does not always happen only with kidney disease. In many cases, phosphaturia is symptomatic. In such a situation, it occurs in case of disturbances in nutrition and daily diet.

Excessive use of fermented milk products, especially before passing a general urine test, leads to the appearance of phosphates in it.

The appearance of such crystals also leads frequent intake of any fruits and vegetables, especially green. A large number of them can lead to persistent alkalization of urine. After a while, this condition contributes to the appearance of phosphate crystals in the urinary sediment.

The accumulation of amorphous phosphates in the urinary sediment causes the urine to become cloudy. Usually this symptom manifests itself perfectly and is detected independently by a pregnant woman. Long-term persistence of such characteristic changes in the urine can lead to an already more dangerous condition - the formation of stones. They are manifested by the appearance of pain in the lower back, as well as the development of other adverse symptoms.

Not only kidney pathologies can be manifested by the appearance of various salts in the urinary sediment. The consequences of previous infections, chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, and diabetes mellitus also lead to the development of such a condition.

In some cases, an increase in salt crystals may also occur during severe toxicosis. In this situation, adverse manifestations appear, as a rule, during the first and second trimesters.

Oxalates

These are fairly common salt crystals that can precipitate. Most often, they are present in the urine of women who eat a lot of plant foods.

Expectant mothers who adhere to a vegetarian diet are also at risk of developing this condition in them. Prolonged precipitation of calcium oxalates into urinary sediment contributes to the formation renal calculi (stones).

Urata

An increased content of urate salts in urine occurs, as a rule, with coffee abuse. Also, frequent consumption of mushrooms and meat products can lead to the development of this condition. The extractive substances contained in such products lead to an imbalance in metabolism, which is manifested by the appearance of urate crystals in the urine.

What to do when they appear?

First of all, expectant mothers should understand that the appearance of an increased level of various salts in the urine is not yet a diagnosis. This condition is in most cases temporary. After adjusting the diet or treating concomitant diseases that caused the development of this condition, these changes completely disappear.

When crystals appear in urine, the future mom should immediately see your gynecologist. The doctor will assess her health and conduct the necessary clinical examination.

To exclude pathology of the kidneys and urinary tract, in some cases, a number of additional tests and ultrasound are required.

During the appointment, the doctor necessarily assesses all possible causes that could cause these manifestations. To do this, the gynecologist sends a pregnant woman for a consultation with a therapist. Expectant mothers suffering from chronic diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract even before pregnancy are also necessarily monitored by a urologist.

A pregnant woman should follow these guidelines:

Compliance with the drinking regime - an important condition for the normalization of urine indicators. In each case, the amount of liquid per day is different. A pregnant woman who has a strong tendency to develop edema or toxicosis should not drink as much water as an expectant mother with a healthy pregnancy. Usually, the indicators of the drinking regime are determined by the doctor during the consultation.

Optimal physical activity also necessary to maintain an active metabolism. Slow walking for at least 40-50 minutes a day is great for expectant mothers. Pregnant women should walk daily. Such walks have a beneficial effect on both the body of the expectant mother and her unborn baby.
In some cases, doctors may recommend using special plant fees. As a rule, they contain lingonberry leaf or bearberry in their composition. Such diuretic (diuretic) fees are prescribed only by a doctor. It is especially good to use these drugs in cases when the expectant mother has pronounced edema.

Avoiding stress very important for maintaining optimal metabolism. The normal functioning of the nervous system allows you to eliminate the slightest disturbances that occur during pregnancy. For good work of internal organs, including the kidneys, the expectant mother should not be nervous and worried about trifles.
Prescribing drugs carried out strictly for medical reasons. Usually, such funds are used if a pregnant woman has any concomitant diseases. Doctors try to limit the use of any drugs as much as possible, as many of these drugs can have adverse effects on the fetus.

Diet

Adequate nutrition during gestation plays a very important role in maintaining optimal kidney and urinary tract function. Pregnant women should, if possible, limit their intake of coffee and strong tea. Eat vegetables and fruits to a limited extent. Do not abuse them.

In summer, very carefully you should plan your diet. If during pregnancy in the summer a pregnant woman eats a lot of fruits and vegetables, and also uses multivitamin complexes at the same time, then this can provoke the appearance of various urinary disorders in her.

Excessive intake of vitamins and microelements into the body of the expectant mother leads to their development.

It is necessary to consume fermented milk products during pregnancy. However, you should not actively eat cottage cheese and kefir. Excessive consumption of such products quite often contributes to a change in urine pH, which ultimately provokes urinary disorders. 1-2 servings of fermented milk products will help prevent various disorders of calcium metabolism.