Are Urinary Tract Infections Harmful During Pregnancy?

Parents Editors
·4 min read

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common during pregnancy, but left untreated, they may pose a risk to your unborn baby.

Pregnancy and urine are a strange mix together, aren't they? You may find out that you are pregnant by peeing on a pregnancy test and if it's positive, you'll likely spend the next 9 months taking a urine test at every single doctor check-up until you deliver.

But those urine tests do serve an important function. In addition to screening for complications like protein and sugar in your urine, your doctor is also carefully monitoring for any signs of a urinary tract infection (UTI) during your pregnancy.

Using a special strip to test your urine, your doctor can tell if you might have a urinary tract infection.

But what happens if you do have a urine infection during pregnancy? Is it harmful for your baby? Here's what you need to know.

Related: Urinary Tract Infections During Pregnancy

Is a Urine Infection During Pregnancy Harmful for Your Baby?

The answer to if a UTI during pregnancy is harmful for your baby is: it depends. On their own, UTIs do not pose any danger to a developing fetus, says Michele Hakakha, M.D., a board-certified OB-GYN affiliated with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center,

UTIs are incredibly common during pregnancy. According to Dr. Hakakha, a urinary tract infection (also known as a UTI or bladder infection) occurs in about 10% of all pregnant people.

And in fact, UTIs are so common that she explains that most pregnant people do not even realize they have an infection.

"The infection is usually asymptomatic during pregnancy, unlike the pain that usually occurs when you get a UTI in a non-pregnant state," Dr. Hakakha says.

That means that you could have a UTI during pregnancy and not even know it, which is exactly why your doctor will test your urine at every check-up, just in case.

Related: 20 Causes of Pelvic Pain During Pregnancy and When to Call a Doctor

The Danger of UTIs During Pregnancy

Although UTIs are common during pregnancy and can often occur without any symptoms in the pregnant person at all, if a UTI is left untreated, it can become very dangerous.

Dr. Hakakha explains that untreated UTIs can progress to kidney infections, which are much more dangerous. She adds that doctors are aggressive about treating kidney infections during pregnancy because they can lead to complications that can be serious for both the pregnant person and the baby.

An untreated UTI that progresses to a kidney infection could lead to complications such as:

  • Sepsis, which is an infection in the bloodstream that can quickly spread to other organs

  • Pneumonia

  • Preterm labor

StatPearls reports that in one study, over 3% of pregnant people with preterm labor had UTIs.

"All three complications can be dangerous, which is why your urine is checked at every prenatal visit," Dr. Hakakha notes.

Related: 11 Pregnancy Symptoms You Shouldn't Ignore

What to Do if You Get a UTI During Pregnancy

As Dr. Hakakha explains, if an infection is detected in your urine at any point during your pregnancy, because of the risks involved in not treating it, your doctor will most likely prescribe an antibiotic to clear up the UTI.

You should take the full course of antibiotics as prescribed, so the infection is completely eliminated.

Remember, a lot of people don't have any UTI symptoms during their pregnancy, so you will need to take all the antibiotics even if you feel fine.

Since UTIs are so common during pregnancy and potentially dangerous to you and your baby, it can also be helpful to be aware of the symptoms of a UTI.





UTI Symptoms in Pregnancy

Symptoms of a UTI during pregnancy include:

  • A fever

  • Chills

  • Dull, achy pain in the pelvic area

  • Pain or burning with urination

  • Cloudy urine

  • Foul-smelling urine

  • Blood in your urine




If at any point in your pregnancy, you develop UTI symptoms, you should call your doctor right away.

You should also call your doctor if you have a UTI and your symptoms worsen or do not improve or if you start having any symptoms of preterm labor, such as contractions, fluid discharge, or increased pain.





Key Takeaway

On its own, a UTI during pregnancy isn't dangerous to your baby. However, if the UTI is not treated, it could develop into a kidney infection, which can cause serious complications like preterm labor, pneumonia, and even sepsis.




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