Pregnancy

Tips to Lower the Risk of Urinary Tract Infections During Pregnancy

UTIs are more common during pregnancy for many reasons, but these strategies may help stave off the infection.

Written by Marisa Taylor Karas | Reviewed by Mera Goodman, MD, FAAP

Updated on November 29, 2024

Reviewed by Mera Goodman, MD, FAAP | November 29, 2024

Learn more about what makes urinary tract infections (UTIs) more common during pregnancy and what UTI treatments are safe here.

References

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Treating for two: Medicine and pregnancy.

Dellzell, J. E., et al. (2000). Urinary tract infections during pregnancy. American Family Physicians.

Easter, S. R., et al. (2016). Urinary tract infections during pregnancy, angiogenic factor profiles, and risk of preeclampsia. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Habak, P. J., et al. (2022). Urinary tract infection in pregnancy. StatPearls.

Hill, J. B., et al. (2005). Acute pyelonephritis in pregnancy. Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Jepson, R. G., et al. (2012). Cranberries for preventing urinary tract infections. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

March of Dimes. (2021). Low birth weight.

Schneeberger, C., et al. (2015). Interventions for preventing recurrent urinary tract infection during pregnancy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

Stapleton, A. E. (2017). The vaginal microbiota and urinary tract infection. Microbiology Spectrum.

Tita, A. T. N., et al. (2011). Diagnosis and management of clinical chorioamnionitis. Clinics in Perinatology.

Wang, C. H., et al. (2012). Cranberry-containing products for prevention of urinary tract infections in susceptible populations: A systematic review and analysis of randomized controlled trials. Archives of internal medicine.

Wingert, A., et al. (2019). Asymptomatic bacteriuria in pregnancy: Systematic reviews of screening and treatment effectiveness and patient preferences. BMJ Open.

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Written by:

Marisa Taylor Karas

Marisa Taylor Karas is a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn who has covered health, gender, and technology for 15 years. She previously worked at The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera America, among other publications, and also served as managing editor of the Mellon Foundation in New York City.