The color of urine can change during pregnancy, and there are many reasons for this. Waiting for the birth of a baby is a serious burden on the mother's body. During pregnancy, not only hormonal levels and body shape change, but also malfunctions in the functioning of internal organs often occur.
Why can the color of urine change in pregnant women? In what cases is this considered normal, and when is it better to hurry up and seek medical help so as not to cause harm to the baby growing in the stomach, as well as to your own body? We will answer these other questions in our article.
Does urine color change during pregnancy?
A change in the color of urine during pregnancy is considered a natural phenomenon that develops in response to various changes in the mother’s body. But what color of urine in pregnant women is normal, and what is a sign of the development of disorders?
In the early stages
What color urine should be during pregnancy is of interest to many women because of the popular belief in determining the sex of the child.
Naturally, this technique has no scientific basis, because the color of urine in the early stages of pregnancy is affected by:
- toxicosis, due to which there is a possible risk of dehydration;
- the amount of liquid you drink;
- addiction to certain foods;
- taking folic acid.
During pregnancy, you cannot risk your health, because you are responsible not only for your life, but also for the baby growing under your heart, so if you notice a change in the color of your urine in the early stages, be sure to tell your doctor about it.
In the later stages
The color of urine during pregnancy can be influenced by many reasons. In the last trimester, special attention should be paid to this issue, because a change in the color of urine may indicate developing gestosis, as well as other diseases of the genitourinary system.
Deviations
What color is urine during pregnancy? Often it turns bright yellow. Too bright color of urine can occur as a result of taking vitamins and medications.
Quite often, gynecologists prescribe vitamin and mineral complexes to pregnant patients, which include folic acid. This is necessary to maintain the female body and the normal development of the embryo. At the same time, drugs are often not completely absorbed by the body, and some of them are excreted in the urine by the kidneys. As a result, urine takes on a not entirely natural shade.
In addition to folic acid, this phenomenon can be caused by the use of nitrofuran-based medications.
Among the foods that can color urine bright yellow, almost orange, carrots should be highlighted. A similar effect can occur when consuming food and drinks that contain dyes.
Dark yellow
If your urine turns dark yellow, this may indicate dehydration. For women who are pregnant, this is quite dangerous. Dehydration can occur due to the use of diuretics, high room temperature and, as a result, increased sweating.
The color of urine in early pregnancy may become dark yellow due to dehydration caused by severe toxicosis and vomiting.
At later stages, darkening of the biofluid may be a consequence of gestosis. The liquid component of the blood collects in the tissues and forms swelling. During this period, the body is catastrophically short of water. Sometimes an increase in blood pressure may also be observed.
However, it is worth noting that darkening of urine does not always indicate dehydration. In the morning, human urine is more concentrated and, as a result, darker. If during subsequent urinations lighter urine is released, there is no need to worry, this is normal.
Reddish
When assessing what kind of urine she has during pregnancy, a woman may find that the biofluid has acquired a pink or reddish tint.
This is what urine looks like when there is an admixture of blood in it. This is a rather alarming symptom that may indicate the presence of a serious disease in the urinary system. For example, about pyelonephritis or glomerulonephritis.
Moreover, of the above two diagnoses, the first one is more common - gestational pyelonephritis. The pathological process in this case is accompanied by pain in the abdomen and lower back, frequent urge to empty the bladder, discomfort during urination and an increase in body temperature.
As for glomerulonephritis, with it the biofluid becomes dirty red, the limbs and face swell, and blood pressure rises.
With inflammation of the bladder and urolithiasis, blood enters the urine from the inflamed and/or injured urinary tract. Concomitant symptoms in this situation include pain in the lower abdomen, frequent urge to urinate, and pain in the urethra.
If a woman discovers pink urine and is not bothered by unpleasant symptoms, experts recommend remembering what her diet was like in the last two days. The fact is that beets, cherries and almost all products with red dye in their composition can give a similar effect.
Light yellow
If a pregnant woman's urine is excessively light, she should be tested for diabetes. In this situation, it may be a specific form of this disease - namely gestational diabetes. It develops only during an “interesting situation.” Associated symptoms in this situation include constant thirst, dry mouth, frequent urination with the release of large portions of biofluid.
The reason for the change in the color of urine may be the use of diuretics or herbal teas, which are prescribed to women to eliminate edema and reduce the manifestations of gestosis. In this case, there is no need to worry. When large volumes of fluid leave the body, urine becomes less concentrated and this is normal.
Sometimes light-colored urine is a sign of chronic renal failure, which also affects the concentration function of the kidneys. However, this, fortunately, is rare.
Brown
When asked whether the color of urine changes to brown during pregnancy, the answer will be positive, but only if the patient has a pathological process in her body.
Dark urine is one of the main signs of severe dehydration. This problem often occurs in women who suffer from constipation and treat it with laxatives. When the drinking regime is normalized and after replacing oral medications with laxative suppositories, the color of urine quickly normalizes.
Urine may turn brown after taking medications containing iron and ascorbic acid. Sometimes too much garlic in the diet can also have a similar effect.
Urine may change during pregnancy in the early stages and later, becoming brownish if you have the following diseases:
- hepatitis B or C;
- liver tumors;
- pathologies of the pancreas (for example, pancreatitis);
- cholelithiasis.
Brown urine can be observed with blood pathologies in which rapid and active breakdown of red blood cells occurs. Among other things, brown urine may indicate poisoning of the body with toxic substances. Sometimes the biofluid takes on a brown tint in patients whose urinary organs are affected by infection.
White
Milky-white urine is due to lymph getting into it. This usually happens with certain pathologies of the bean-shaped organs and bladder, with helminthic infestations, and also after injuries.
Similarly, the color of urine in early pregnancy rarely changes. Changes usually occur in the third trimester. This is due to the fact that during this period the bodice duct is pinched by the enlarged uterus, which also provokes the entry of lymph into the urine.
Heterogeneous, white urine during pregnancy occurs due to suppuration of the filtration organs. This is a dangerous phenomenon that requires immediate medical attention. Fortunately, this pathology is rare.
Turquoise
A change in the color of urine during pregnancy to a greenish tint occurs when there is an admixture of pus in it. Usually in this situation the patient is bothered by other unpleasant symptoms of the purulent-inflammatory process. These include fever, pain above the pubis and/or back, swelling.
If the urine turns turquoise, the woman is likely infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Blue
Sometimes the color of urine changes during pregnancy from yellowish to blue. As a rule, this happens due to the use of Phenacetin, antibiotics (especially the tetracycline group), and vitamin and mineral complexes.
Much less often, this phenomenon indicates severe disruptions in the body, excessive accumulation of tryptophan protein. If a woman has such a problem, it will worsen after eating white meat and seafood.
Reasons for color change
Normally, during pregnancy, urine can have various shades of yellow: from pale light straw to rich mustard.
What color is urine in pregnant women? It is impossible to answer this question unambiguously. Even if you go to the laboratory where they take tests on expectant mothers, each jar of urine will have its own shade, and almost all of them are a variant of the norm.
The change in the shade of urine excreted is influenced not only by the natural processes occurring in the body of a pregnant woman, but also by other factors:
- Color saturation depends on the speed of metabolic processes, as well as on the volume of fluid consumed and excreted.
- Eating certain vegetables or fruits can change the color of urine. For example, the predominance of carrots in the diet gives an orange color to urine during pregnancy, and frequent consumption of beets turns it into a burgundy-red hue.
- Some groups of drugs can give a dark, red or deep yellow color to urine.
- Features of the functioning of renal filtration of urine during pregnancy.
Diagnosis, treatment and prevention
If a symptom such as green urine appears, you need to sound the alarm in the following cases:
- when the general condition of the body deteriorates;
- when the smell of urine changes, as well as its transparency and saturation;
- when various types of pain occur.
If at least one of the described symptoms develops, you should urgently consult your physician. To clarify possible diagnoses, the doctor may prescribe urine and blood tests, as well as more specialized studies - ultrasound of the bladder, kidneys, liver, gallbladder, CT and MRI of organs, and others. Before taking blood and urine tests, you must stop taking all medications.
Video: Urine color
197 Urine color
What do the different shades say?
If the color of urine changes during pregnancy, this may be an alarming signal indicating the development of pathological conditions in the body of a pregnant woman.
Red tint
Red urine during pregnancy is an alarming sign. Urine acquires this color when it contains an admixture of blood.
This can occur with the following diseases:
- glomerulonephritis;
- cystitis;
- urolithiasis disease;
- The color of urine with pyelonephritis will also be red.
The processes are accompanied by a general deterioration of the condition, hyperthermia often occurs, and the patient complains of the development of pain attacks.
Some dishes (vinaigrette), as well as the use of medications, can give a pink tint to urine.
Colorless urine
Clear, light yellow urine indicates that the woman is drinking large amounts of fluid, causing the urine to become low-concentrated. It is necessary to carefully monitor the color of urine during pregnancy, and if for several days it has not ceased to be colorless, this may lead to increased leaching of salts and minerals.
Orange tint
The most common cause of this coloration is taking multivitamin complexes and folic acid. Vitamin B9 is not fully absorbed, so some of it is excreted unchanged in the urine. Nitrofuran drugs and carrot juice can also give urine an orange color.
Dark yellow shade
Caused by high concentration of urine. Often occurs due to dehydration of the body, which occurs with insufficient water intake, as well as with toxicosis in the early stages. In addition, in the morning the content of substances in the fluid secreted by the kidneys is higher, so the urine has a more intense color.
Brown, brown-green tint
It is a pathological symptom that indicates problems with the gallbladder or liver, especially if other signs of hepatitis and cholecystitis are present:
- yellowness of the sclera and skin;
- discolored stool;
- emotional disturbances;
- skin itching.
In such a situation, immediate contact with a doctor is required.
Are there any differences in the shape of the abdomen during pregnancy with a boy and a girl?
To determine whether there will be a son or a daughter, many mothers recommend paying attention to the shape of the abdomen. The result of long-term observations of pregnant women was the following conclusions:
- If there is a girl in the stomach, then its shape will resemble a melon. The longer the weeks, the more blurry the belly becomes. Due to its melon-shaped shape and constant growth, the stomach gradually begins to lose its clear outline. All this makes the waist unnoticeable;
- If there is a boy in the tummy, then its shape will be pointed and raised towards the top. The more weeks, the more noticeable the growth of the abdomen along with the protruding and upturned navel will be.
Young mothers diagnosing the gender of their unborn baby based on characteristics such as height and abdominal shape should remember that there is an error. This method works effectively only in certain cases: if a woman is pregnant for the first time, her figure has ideal parameters, and there are no deviations from the norm in the size of the fetus.
In other cases, guessing whether a baby will be a boy or a girl based on height and belly shape may be wrong. The reason for this may be individual physiological characteristics. Information about the shape of the abdomen in women along the family line when carrying a boy or a girl will help to increase the accuracy of the result. However, even in this case, it is not worth starting preparations for the birth of a baby of the assigned gender. The shape and growth of the abdomen can be influenced by various factors:
- During a multiple pregnancy, the belly differs significantly in size due to the growth of several babies;
- The fact that a woman is not primiparous will significantly complicate the determination of the sex of the fetus based on such abdominal parameters as shape and height. During the first pregnancy, the shape of the abdomen is pointed, and during subsequent births it may change due to stretching of the abdomen;
- If there is excess amniotic fluid, the belly will look larger than it should be at a given number of weeks;
- Underneath the mother's plumpness, the growth of the abdomen may be hidden;
- If the child has taken a non-standard position in the womb (obliquely or transversely), then the shape of the abdomen will be changed;
- In women with a narrow pelvis, regardless of the sex of the fetus, the abdomen will be sharp and neat in shape, as well as small in size;
- If there is an increase in the size, weight and height of the fetus relative to the norm, then the belly will be larger.
In what cases should you consult a doctor?
The color of urine during pregnancy, especially in the early stages, often changes for physiological reasons. However, it is necessary to pay attention to its shade, because in some situations this may indicate the development of diseases.
Be sure to visit a doctor if you find that:
- the urine became cloudy, foreign inclusions appeared in it - flakes, admixtures of pus, blood;
- urine has acquired a rich brown color, while complaints characteristic of liver pathology are disturbing;
- simultaneously with the change in shade, pain occurred in the kidney area;
- the color suddenly changed for no apparent reason.
Pregnancy is not a condition when you can ignore the body’s reactions. If you have any suspicions about the development of disorders, it is better to tell your gynecologist about this so that he can refer you to the right specialist. He will tell you what color urine should be in pregnant women and help get rid of developing pathology.
The influence of urine color on the gender of the child
The color of urine during pregnancy is not only a diagnostic criterion for health.
Since ancient times, women have been interested in who will be born. Now, starting from 16-18 weeks, it is possible to determine the gender of the child using ultrasound.
Previously, we relied only on signs:
- belly shape;
- changes in the appearance of the expectant mother;
- taste preferences in food;
- change in the character of the pregnant woman.
They also tried to determine the sex of the child by the color of urine . If it is bright yellow, then the woman is carrying a boy under her heart. If the urine is light in color, the mother will give birth to a girl.
Such information is based only on observational experience; it does not have scientific substantiation or confirmation, but it allows us to brighten up the time of tedious waiting for the day when it becomes reliably known who will be born to young parents.
The fact that urine color changes during pregnancy cannot be denied. And such changes do not always indicate problems with the child’s development or the health of the expectant mother. Urine can change color for various reasons, including physiological ones. However, in order not to miss the development of pathology, if you detect an unnatural shade of urine, consult a doctor.
Author: Violeta Kudryavtseva, doctor, especially for Mama66.ru
Signs of difference between pregnancy between a boy and a girl on ultrasound
Not every pregnant woman trusts her inner intuition and will rely only on sensations and signs.
The sex of the unborn child can be more accurately determined by undergoing certain tests and examinations. Reliable results are provided by an ultrasound examination, during which the expectant mother can learn not only about the gender of her child, but also about the presence or absence of any developmental abnormalities.
According to experienced specialists, pregnancy with a boy and a girl during ultrasound diagnostics at a period of several weeks is distinguished by only one parameter - the angle connecting the genital tubercles and the dorsal region of the fetus. Determining the gender of the unborn baby at a period of several weeks using ultrasound diagnostics requires considerable effort, since the development of the genital organs occurs later.
Finding out exactly who is in the belly - a boy or a girl - is more likely for those women whose pregnancy is over 25 weeks. By this period, the baby’s formation is coming to an end, which means that distinctive sexual characteristics are more clearly visible. Also, at a period of 25 weeks or more, using ultrasound diagnostics, the doctor is able to accurately say whether the baby’s development meets the norm or whether there are violations.
