Pregnancy is one of the most exciting and happy periods in the life of any woman. But sometimes the expectation of the baby is overshadowed by various health problems of the future mother. In recent years, women in an interesting position are increasingly diagnosed with diseases of the genitourinary system. One of the most common problems is kidney stones during pregnancy. The consequences and treatment of this ailment will be described in today's article.
Features of kidney function during pregnancy
During the entire nine months from the moment of conception, a double load lays on the body of the future mother. And this applies to all organs, including the kidneys. During pregnancy, the latter have to process and remove from the body the waste products of not only the woman herself, but also the fetus. During this period, there is a significant increase in the volume of urine excreted. In the last months of pregnancy, this figure rises to 1200-1600 milliliters.
In addition, progesterone present in the blood helps to reduce the tone of the bladder, as a result of which stagnation of urine can occur. The combination of these factors often leads to the fact that the expectant mother has kidney stones. During pregnancy, a fast-growing fetus puts pressure on a woman’s internal organs. As a result, the risk of developing various pathologies significantly increases. To avoid serious health problems, you must regularly visit a doctor from the fourth month of pregnancy and strictly follow his instructions.
Causes of the problem
There are several factors that cause kidney stone to appear during pregnancy. Most often, this pathology is associated with the changed hormonal background of a woman. In the body of a future mother, the concentration of progesterone increases sharply. This hormone not only helps prevent miscarriage, but also contributes to the appearance of kidney stones. It inhibits the activity of smooth muscles of the urinary tract, which leads to stagnation of urine.
A physiological decrease in immunity is considered to be an equally common reason why a kidney stone appears during pregnancy. This factor most often provokes the development of inflammatory processes. An infection in the urinary tract, combined with stagnation of urine, contributes to the formation of stones.
An equally important role is played by a decrease in motor activity, leading to a violation of phosphorus-calcium metabolism, and the diet of a pregnant woman. A future mom needs to carefully monitor her diet. During pregnancy, it is advisable to reduce the consumption of meat products, since they contribute to the formation of uric acid salts.
Characteristic symptoms
Kidney stones during pregnancy (treatment of this pathology will be discussed a little later) can be recognized by several main signs. As a rule, this ailment is accompanied by mild aching pains localized in the lower back. Sometimes they give to the stomach, thigh or perineum. If a stone scratches the wall of the ureter or renal pelvis, blood may appear in urine.
Other signs that allow this pathology to be recognized include flatulence, nausea, fever and chills. Also, the vast majority of patients often have vomiting and painful urination.
Diagnostic Methods
If there is the slightest suspicion of kidney stone during pregnancy, you should immediately consult a doctor. He will recommend a series of laboratory tests and additional studies. All this will help in making an accurate diagnosis.
As a rule, in such cases, a general analysis of urine (according to Nechiporenko or Zimnitsky) is prescribed, which allows to determine the concentration of salts, as well as blood biochemistry for urea and creatinine. In addition, the patient will be referred for an ultrasound of the kidneys. This is one of the safest research methods, allowing to identify pathology.
Pregnancy and kidney stones: what is the threat?
By themselves, they are not dangerous to the health of the unborn baby, since they have absolutely no effect on the formation of organs and tissues of the embryo. A real threat only arises when there is a large stone clogging the duct and causing stagnation of urine. Therefore, it is very important not to delay the treatment of this pathology. In cases where the disease is exacerbated by an infectious lesion, there is a risk of infection of the fetal placenta.
In addition, kidney stones during pregnancy are often accompanied by inflammatory processes and pain. Severe colic accompanied by severe fever can cause premature birth or miscarriage. In addition, a stone moving along the ureter often provokes the detachment of the fetal egg from the uterine wall.
What to do during an attack of colic?
As a rule, sharp pain appears due to the fact that a kidney stone during pregnancy (we have already found out how dangerous a similar condition is for the health of a future baby) blocks the ureter and prevents urine excretion. Therefore, in such cases it is necessary to try to occupy a position in which he will budge and open the channel.
To relieve spasm, you can take the pain medication recommended by your doctor. It is strictly forbidden to independently use any medications not prescribed by the doctor. With an attack of renal colic, it is forbidden to take warm relaxing baths and carry out any warming procedures.
How to treat kidney stones during pregnancy?
What to do in such situations should be decided only by the doctor. As a rule, a decision is made on drug therapy. Surgery during pregnancy is done only in exceptional cases. Surgical intervention is indicated only when the stones have caused the development of a fast-flowing purulent process or provoked acute renal failure.
Treatment for kidney stones should be comprehensive. Therefore, taking medications is almost always supplemented by a special diet. A special diet allows you to facilitate the work of the kidneys and makes therapy more complete.
With urate stones, it is recommended that patients exclude meat from the diet. In this case, the diet is based on dairy and vegetable products. If a lot of calcium is detected in the stones, then it is desirable to include cereals and meat in the menu. In this case, you need to completely abandon eggs, milk and legumes. They should also be excluded if oxalic acid is found in the stones.
Preventive measures
Kidney stones, like any other pathology, are better to prevent than to treat afterwards. Prevention comes down to correction of the diet, an active lifestyle and taking medications prescribed by the doctor based on herbs.
To avoid the formation of stones from the menu of a pregnant woman, it is necessary to completely remove carbonated drinks, smoked meats and fried foods. It is also undesirable to eat chicken eggs, potatoes, peanuts, chocolate and a large number of confectionery. Products such as bananas, apples and watermelons have a beneficial effect on kidney function. For the prevention of urolithiasis, you can use buckwheat and millet porridge.
As for drinks, to prevent the development of pathology, it is recommended to use fresh juices, as well as herbal and berry decoctions. Lingonberries, blueberries and parsley are best suited for these purposes.
In addition, you must regularly visit a doctor and systematically take the required tests. All this will allow you to track the slightest malfunctions in the body and not miss the initial stage of the disease.