Protein In Urine During Pregnancy

During most routine prenatal appointments once you hit 28 weeks, your healthcare provider will have you leave a urine sample during your appointments. This urine sample will have a dipstick test done to it to check for various risks that can be found during pregnancy. One of them being protein in the urine or proteinuria.

Protein in the urine can be caused by a number of different reasons. When there is protein in the urine, that means the kidneys are not functioning properly and filtering out what they are supposed to. This can be caused by emotional stress, physical stress, strenuous exercise, dehydration, fever, inflammation, kidney stones, or exposure to extreme temperatures. Once there is protein in your urine there is nothing you can do to get rid of it, besides treating the underlying cause.

If protein in your urine is indicated before 20 weeks pregnant it is considered chronic proteinuria. This can be caused by heart disease, or infections such as a urinary tract infection. After 20 weeks pregnant protein in your urine will be more closely watched as it can be a sign of preeclampsia which can be a serious condition for both mom and the baby.

Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication that is associated with high blood pressure and protein in the urine. Leaving preeclampsia untreated can lead to life-threatening complications for both mom and the baby. It can lead to seizures, stroke, or Hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count syndrome, HELLP syndrome. Along with high blood pressure, worrisome symptoms that go along with preeclampsia are headaches, blurry vision, pain in abdomen, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, and lowered urine output.

If you have a family history or have had a previous pregnancy with preeclampsia you are at a higher risk of having it again. Higher risks for protein in your urine include; if it is your first pregnancy, if you are over 35, if your have a body mass index over 30, if you are pregnant with multiples, if there is more than 10 years between your pregnancies, if your pregnancy was done through IVF, if you have chronic high blood pressure, if you have either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, if you have lupus, or if you have migraines.

Preeclampsia usually resolves on its own after delivery. If it is a concern your doctor will usually suggest you be induced after 37 weeks. Induction may be recommended if there is fetal distress, an abnormal liver function test, severe headaches, right-sided abdominal pain, seizures, fluid in the lungs, low platelets, low urine output, or HELLP syndrome. In some cases your symptoms and risk may not be high enough to be induced so your doctor may want to watch and see. This may mean you have more frequent appointments, or have to check your blood pressure at home. If your symptoms are on the verge of severe, your doctor may suggest you are monitored in the hospital. This allows you and your baby to be monitored 24/7 to make sure nothing becomes life threatening.

Preeclampsia is just one condition that can have protein in your urine.

Kidney Disease

Protein in your urine may be caused by kidney disease. Kidney disease symptoms to watch out for are low back pain, itchy skin, muscle cramps, fatigue, weight loss, trouble breathing, and brain fog.

You may not have any symptoms connected with the protein in your urine. Especially if your levels are not overly high. Symptoms that you may have are swelling in the ankles, wrists, and eyes, burning sensation while urinating, increased urination, back pain, or foamy brown or bloody urine.

Takeaway

After your doctor does the urine dipstick test at a regular appointment and discovers there is protein in your urine they may want to do a 24 hour urine protein test to see if the levels trend up, stay the same, or lower. Additional labs can be ordered to check for high liver enzymes, low platelets, high creatine, and high uric acid. For the baby your doctor may want to do an ultrasound, or a non stress test to make sure the baby isn’t in any distress. There is no way to get rid of protein in your urine unless you treat the underlying cause. In some cases your doctor may suggest taking baby aspirin, or a calcium supplement to reduce the risk of protein in the urine, but it cannot prevent it. Early detection can be essential for treating causes of protein in your urine while pregnant.