All women experience changes in their urine color during pregnancy. Read on to know whether it is something that a woman should be worried about or is it something that like any other pregnancy symptom is harmless and will go on its own…
When a woman is pregnant, she experiences a number of changes in her body. Tenderness in breasts, morning sickness, food cravings, vomiting, fatigue – these are some of the pregnancy symptoms which most women are already aware of. However, there is one more change that takes place in a woman’s body, which many a pregnant women don’t know. It is the change in the color of the urine during pregnancy. A pregnant woman might see the color of her urine changing from pale yellow to bright yellow, brown and sometimes even red. The following HerHaleness article discusses the causes behind the change in urine color in pregnant women.
Dehydration
Dark yellow urine during pregnancy could be caused by dehydration. During the first few months, many pregnant women experience vomiting. If during that time, the woman does not drink enough water, it can lead to dehydration. Due to dehydration, a pigment known as urochrome increases and concentrates in the urine, changing its normal color to dark yellow.
Prenatal Vitamins and Supplements
Darkening of urine during pregnancy could result from the intake of prenatal vitamins and supplements by the woman. The reason behind this is that the vitamins and supplements are not entirely absorbed by the woman’s body. The unabsorbed supplements and vitamins are eliminated and passed out from the body through the urine. Thus, the urine gets a comparatively darker tinge than its normal color.
Diet
The diet which a pregnant woman takes could cause a change in the urine color too. There are some specific fruits and vegetables, like asparagus and beet root, which make the urine color dark. So, if the pregnant woman is having such fruits and veggies daily, they can alter her urine color.
Urinary Tract Infection
Many complications such as preterm labor and an underweight baby can arise if a pregnant woman suffers from a urinary tract infection. If a bright yellow urine is experienced with symptoms such as pain or a burning sensation while urinating, an increase in the frequency of urination, blood in the urine, mucus in the urine, pain in the lower abdomen, it is a possibility that the woman has urinary tract infection.
Kidney Stones
If a pregnant woman passes blood in her urine and feels immense pain while urinating, the reason could be kidney stones. Kidney stones cause severe pain in the stomach too as well as around the kidneys. Vomiting and a feeling of nausea are some of the other symptoms experienced by the woman who has kidney stones.
Kidney Diseases
A dark-colored urine can be experienced by the pregnant woman if she is suffering from a kidney disease. Any disorder or infection in the kidneys, which is the organ responsible for removal of wastes from the body, can cause a change in the urine color. You may further go to urine color chart.
Hematuria
This condition produces a dark brown or red colored urine. It occurs when the red blood cells increase in the body. When this happens, the excess red blood cells are eliminated through urine, giving it a darker shade.
Bladder Infection
When a woman is pregnant, hormones play havoc in her body. Due to the heightened activity of the hormones, the bladder increases in size. This causes the lining of the bladder to thin out and thus, the possibility of it contracting an infection increases. So, if a pregnant woman suffers from a bladder infection, she will see a change in the color of her urine.
As you can see, changes in the color of urine, can be due to some harmless condition or it could signal some underlying serious condition. So, it is advised that if along with changes in urine color, symptoms such as severe pain, blood in urine, frequent urination and vomiting are present, a doctor should be consulted for thorough diagnosis.
