Taking antibiotics in pregnancy

[skewiff]

Hello,

I am 18 weeks pregnant and had a routine urine test last week that came up with some invisible blood in it. It was sent off to be tested and came back that there was some bacteria in it that comes from the bowel. Basically I have a slight urine infection.

However I have no other symptoms of a urine infection at all.

The doctor has said that I must take antibiotics. My GP is not so certain and agrees that the doctor at the hospital will be to a certain extent covering his back. However they say that antibiotics are fine and safe to take and its better to be safe than sorry.

I agree with this, but also am a terrible modern medicine sceptic. I'm aware that there always can be side effects. And what I'm worried about here is not me, but the fact that I may be needlessly bombarding a tiny baby with strong antibiotics.

My worry is also that I have Group B strep (discovered in a previous pregnancy). Although I know it can come and go from your body there is a strong likelihood that I'll have to have intraveneous antibiotics throughout labour.

Plus if these antibiotics for the (I'm not at all aware of it) urine infection don't work they'll put me on some others.

It all feels too much.

What have your experiences been?

Thank you.

I'm on my second course of antibiotics this pregnancy.

there have (obviously) been no tests on pregnant women, but there is a wealth of information, my GP said, given that certain ABs have been used so much and there haven't been problems associated with them.

plus, me too with the GBS

I took antibitoics while pregnant for laryngitis.
Wouldn't have done if I hadn't been in so much pain, but really didn't know what else I could do.
Checked to make sure that my GP realised I was pregnant and then trusted them to prescribe the right ones, tho I didn't double check.
Guess I have not been that helpful, but didn;t want your post to go unnoticed.

I took some a few weeks ago for a UTI - it didn't occur to me not to tbh because I was in so much discomfort.

Penicillin based anti-biotics are totally safe in pregnancy. You can google all of them online and read the annotations. Amoxil or Co-amoclav (same group of anti-biotics) would clear up your infection quickly. The worse thing if your infection spreads which could happen quite quickly, and the consequences might be terrible. If this is indeed a bladder infection, I would definitely take anti-biotics... I had one once which went from mild (me feeling ok) to me crawling on the floor with a 39C fever within a couple of hours (was totally shocked and helpless). Now would start taking Amoxil straight away. If you are worried, maybe see a urologist / fetal medicine specialist privately - worth getting a second opinion?

i'm also on 2nd lot of antibiotics in 3 weeks for UTI. I would rather take the AB as left untreated could go from UTI to Kidney infection really quickly. thre is also a small chance with untreated kidney infection of possible premature labour which obviously i want to avoid at all costs. So to me i would rather take them just in case.

Thank you,

I don't have any symptoms or discomfort at all - which is why I am wavering.

In my very early twenties I had quite a few bladder infections so know what it feels like and also know what you mean about it spreading quickly.

They've done another urine test today and say the results will be back by Tuesday, hopefully. So I may wait to see what comes back and then decide.

I have had 4 UTIs in pg and had to take antibiotics for all of them. With the third one, I didn't go to the Drs staright away when I suspected I had one, and I regretted it as I started to feel really ill and the pain got quite severe after a few days, and when I went to the Drs he said there was quite high protein in my urine, immediately prescribed antibiotics and said if my symptoms didn't improve within 24 hours I would have to go to hospital in case it may have spread to my kidneys - and any interruption in kidney function can seriously affect development of baby. As soon as I started ABs I started to get better v quickly, so 4th time I didn't make same mistake again and as soon as I got symptoms I went to docs.

UTIs can clear themselves in women who are not pg so antibiotics aren't always necessary. But in pg your urine flow slows down and your immune system is reduced so you are unlikely to clear it yourself (which is why you are more prone to them in the first place - I never had one before I was pg). Also risk to baby is high if infection progresses. Which is why UTIs are always treated with ABs in pg. Infection itself poses far more risk to baby than ABs, which will be ones that are safe to use in pg. Also, UTIs can be asymptomatic. If they have tested your urine and think you have one, I should trust their judgement and follow their advice. x

Urine infections can be pretty serious in pregnanch and pose a risk to your baby.

I was on various antibiotics during my last pregnancy. Erythromycin 4 times a day for nine weeks, plus several courses of both metronidazole and amoxycillin. They had no negative effect. I also had IV clyndomycin in labour.

Thank you everyone x

I have spent 30 weeks of my 38 weeks pregnancy under antibiotics due to a glandular reaction to pregnancy but DS was/is a healthy baby.