When to do a urine test during pregnancy?

The article was professionally consulted with Specialist Doctor II Huynh Thi Hien - Obstetrician and Gynecologist - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.

During pregnancy, to ensure the health of both mother and child, the mother needs to perform tests periodically or as prescribed by a doctor when necessary, including blood and urine tests. So how important is a urine test and when should a urine test be done? Let's find out through the article below.

Urinalysis during pregnancy is a way to check for components in the urine, help find the cause of disease symptoms or know problems that a pregnant woman may face.
Urine test during pregnancy has the following uses:
When pregnancy is suspected, urine test for initial diagnosis of pregnancy or not? During pregnancy, urine testing helps to detect kidney, urinary tract, bladder diseases early for timely treatment because kidney and urinary tract diseases affect pregnancy, especially in 3 months. late pregnancy causes preeclampsia. If the test shows blood or pus in the urine, this may be a sign of other associated medical problems. If there is sugar in the urine, the pregnant woman may have gestational diabetes; Biochemical analysis of urine can aid in the diagnosis of kidney stones and porphyria; If microscopic analysis of cells shed from the lining of the bladder is present in the urine, it may aid in the diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer; Urine test can identify sexually transmitted diseases such as Chlamydia, Herpes virus, Syphilis... During the test with test strips, if any enzyme (produced by white blood cells) or nitrite is detected ( caused by bacteria) this is a sign of a urinary tract infection; At each prenatal visit, your doctor will ask you to take a urine pregnancy test, which is an accurate way to detect risk factors during pregnancy. Therefore, this urine test cannot be skipped during pregnancy.

Urine testing during pregnancy is essential. At the first prenatal check-up, you will have a urine test to evaluate for diseases that may affect the health of the mother and the fetus such as: kidney disease, urinary tract infection...

Entering the 12th week of pregnancy, urine testing is considered an important test to help mothers screen for possible risks such as: sexually transmitted diseases, diabetes...
During pregnancy over 20 weeks you are retested every month to further assess your risk of preeclampsia (proteinuria and high blood pressure). Pregnancy at risk of pre-eclampsia belongs to a high-risk group, which can develop into severe pre-eclampsia or eclampsia, if not monitored and treated promptly, can severely affect the health of both mother and child. .

Pregnant women should fast and do not urinate before taking the test to get the most accurate results.
In order for the urine test process to take place smoothly, pregnant women should note:
Clean the genitals with clean water, do not use cleaning solutions that are too alkaline or acidic because it will easily alter the environment of the vagina; Mothers should not eat foods that are dark in color because they can cause urine to change color such as beets, raspberries or rhubarb...; Before taking the test, pregnant women should not exercise too much; Should not take any medicine, including vitamin tablets, functional foods because the ingredients in the drug will affect the urine test results during pregnancy; To ensure reproductive health for pregnant women, Vinmec International General Hospital has implemented the Maternity Care Program, which uses the most advanced methods of examination and diagnosis, including: Both urine tests to detect early signs of abnormality in the health of mother and fetus, help timely handling, ensure a safe and convenient pregnancy for mother and baby.