Pregnancy is a time where the body goes through a great number of transformations. Many of these changes are welcome while others are a bit unwanted. Moreover, some of them are fairly obvious, while others may surprise you. For example, one change that many expectant moms will experience is cloudy urine. Here’s a look at what this could possibly mean and what you should do about it.
Is it serious?
If you find yourself experiencing this symptom, there’s no reason to panic. There are many things that could be going on with your body. Rather than focus on the effect, you should focus on the frequency and if there are any other symptoms associated with it. If it happens multiple times or quite often, you may want to consult a professional. Otherwise, you can simply keep an eye on it to see if it clears up on its own.
Causes
There are a number of things that could be causing cloudy urine. Here’s a look at the most common ones.
- Not drinking enough water. If you aren’t taking in enough water, you may have cloudy urine. Otherwise you will see higher concentrations of chemicals, which could affect not only the way it looks, but also the way it smells. It can also be darker than you’re used to. This is a good way to gauge if you are drinking enough water.
- Not getting enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep at night can mess with your body in so many ways. One of them is that you might have differences in your bathroom habits. When your body is confused and tired, it may also cause you to make poor decisions about other things as well, such as not eating the right foods.
- Hormonal changes. Hormonal changes will obviously plague you when you’re having a baby. These changes can do everything from make your fingernails grow to change what your urine looks like.
- Infections. If you have ever had an infection, you may know that it changes simple things, like going to the restroom. One of the most likely culprits when it comes to infections would be a urinary tract infection, which can change how your urine looks, and also make it painful to go.
- Your diet. The things you eat can take a toll on how often you go and what it looks like. There’s no way to know ahead of time which foods will do it though, so there’s not a simple way to tell if this is likely to occur to you or not. Always be mindful of what you’re eating and where you purchased it.
- Prescription pills. When you have to take medicines, there might be side effects that can change the way your urine will look. This can be anything from a prescription pill to something as benign as an aspirin.
Treatments
Since there are so many things that can change the look of your urine, there are also many things that can be addressed to fix the problem.
- Drinking the proper amount of water. The most important thing you can do is be sure that you get the proper amount of water each day. The recommended amount is at least 6 glasses a day, and you can also drink other healthy clear fluids as well, such as herbal teas. This will help you go to the bathroom more frequently, which is a good thing.
- Getting enough sleep. You also have to be certain that you are getting the right amount of sleep each night. If you can’t sleep after dark, due to comfort issues or something else, take naps as often as you can. Even taking a short rest during the day can help you stay healthy, so don’t hesitate to take a little power nap in the middle of the day.
- Changing your diet. Even though no one knows exactly which food items can cause this issue, if it happens to you frequently, you may want to make changes in your diet. The best way to do this is to keep a diary of your food intake, so you can determine what food or foods may be causing it. At the same time, if you’re eating a proper diet that is filled with vitamins, fruits, and vegetables, this is a good start. Furthermore, you may want to stick to only organic food, or foods that are not genetically modified. This can lessen your chances of other harmful effects too, like ingesting pesticides or questionable chemicals that can mess with your body.
- Less stress. Getting rid of stressors is easier said than done, but it’s something that has to be done from time to time. Chances are you have so many things on your plate that you need to take care of. You probably think you’re the only person that can do them too. At the same time, that may not be true. It is perfectly fine to delegate tasks to your spouse or other trusted family members and friends that you trust. They may surprise you. Another way to relieve some stress is to exercise a bit. You can take a walk outside or do some yoga.
- Keep track of other things going on. You also have to remember that changes in your urine may not be the only sign of an underlying issue. If you also have pain in certain areas, this is something that may be cause for concern. However, if there aren’t any other things happening that are out of the ordinary, you probably don’t have any illnesses to be concerned about. Another thing you’ll need to keep track of is how often you have cloudy urine. If it is sporadic, this shouldn’t really be an issue, but if it happens a lot, this may be cause for concern.
- Check with your doctor. If you are concerned about this problem or want more information, feel free to consult with your doctor, midwife, or anyone else that is helping you in your journey to motherhood. They should be able to explain what is going on and either put your mind at ease or tell you what your next steps should be.
Other Things to Know
If you think that you have an infection, you should keep track of the other symptoms that are taking place. For example, if you have a UTI, or urinary tract infection, you will likely have cloudy urine during pregnancy, and it will also have an unfamiliar odor to it as well. Besides that, you may have trouble going to the bathroom and it might hurt to urinate. If you don’t have all these symptoms together, then there’s a good chance this is not what is going on with your body. However, UTI’s are an easy thing to test for if you consult with your doctor, so don’t put off visiting them it’s bothering you or you are stressed out about this issue.
There are other major diseases and infections that can cause cloudy urine, such as sexual transmitted diseases or yeast infections. These are relatively rare compared to other reasons however, so you should rule out other causes first before you jump to conclusions.
Another thing that is very important is to check the side effects on your medications. If you don’t know what the prescriptions you take can do to you, this may cause unwanted stress. Again, this is another thing to check with your doctor or pharmacist about, so you can be sure and at ease.
Overview
There are many moms that experience cloudy urine during pregnancy and it can happen very early on. It’s important that you don’t jump to conclusions, since there are so many things that might be going on. It may be caused from everything from foods to stress, so give yourself a break and take a look at your routine. There may be a simple answer to the problem or it may only happen a couple times, which is no reason to worry. If you are deeply concerned, you can always consult with your health care professional, which will help you find a definitive answer.