Bladder Infection During Pregnancy and Beyond: Natural Remedies
Bladder Infection During Pregnancy and Beyond: Natural Remedies
Bladder infection is one of the most common ailments in all women. Also known as cystitis, lower urinary tract infection, or UTI, it can occur more frequently from bodily changes during pregnancy.
Prevention and prompt treatment of early symptoms are the safest courses, as the untreated infection can spread to the kidneys and then blood stream, and cause serious illness as well as preterm labor. Simple bladder infections can be treated successfully with natural remedies, and thereby avoid overuse of antibiotics and the cycle of multiple antibiotics.
Early warning signs of a UTI include feeling an urgent and frequent need to urinate but only a little comes out; burning during and after urination; cloudy, odorous or blood tinged urine; pelvic pressure and aching or cramping in the lower abdomen. Some women feel exhausted and unwell, while others do not notice much symptoms at all.
Frequent trips to the bathroom (especially at night) is common in the first and third trimester of pregnancy from the pressure of the growing uterus and baby on the bladder, and isn’t necessarily due to infection.
Other predisposing factors in bladder infection besides pregnancy include:
Sexual and hygienic practices that bring bacteria from the bowel towards the urethra
Frequent or traumatic sexual intercourse
Use of public whirlpool baths or hot tubs
Bubble baths
Perfumed soaps
Use of the contraceptive diaphragm in some susceptible women
Coffee and other caffeinated drinks
Dehydration
Cigarette and alcohol addiction
Diabetes
Menopause
Urinary catheterization
Kidney diseases and other illnesses
To Prevent and Treat Bladder Infections
HYDRATION
Drink at least 64 ounces of fluids daily between meals mostly during the day (at least 20-30 minutes before or 2 hours after eating) to dilute the urine and increase the force of flow. Filtered tap or spring water, herbal tea, soup broth, some citrus drinks, and unsweetened cranberry juice is best. The last two help acidify the urine, discouraging bacterial growth.
You can limit intake of fluids and natural diuretics, like juicy fruits and vegetables, during the evening to minimize waking in the middle of the night to urinate.
In the third trimester, recline on your side for a bit before going to bed. This relieves the pressure of your uterus on the major vessels and thus allows the increased fluid that has been trapped in your lower body during the day to return to the heart and kidneys, allowing you to urinate this additional amount out before sleep.
Urinate as soon as you feel the urge, or at least every 2-3 hours while awake, as bacteria grow more easily in concentrated urine held back.
DIET
Eat a well-balanced whole food diet with lots of:
Fresh organic fruits and vegetables
Whole grains
Nuts, nut butters and milks
Seeds and their products like tehina
Beans, organic tofu and tempeh
Organic whole eggs
Turkey and chicken
Beef, lamb, and wild game
Organic fresh raw whole milk—ideally goat and sheep
Wild Alaskan salmon
Organic cold expeller pressed extra virgin olive, coconut oil or goat butter as your primary cooking fat
Fermented vegetables and products like kombucha and live culture organic yogurt
Avoid highly processed refined white flour sugary foods laden with chemicals and unhealthy refined vegetable oils and partially hydrogenated fats, as they weaken the immune system and are harmful to your health. Also avoid irritants such as alcohol, caffeinated drinks, spicy foods, red and black pepper, food colorings, sugar, cigarettes and alcohol. Make sure to take your vitamin and mineral supplements so you get the needed nourishment not supplied by diet alone.
Reduce stress and strengthen your immunity by following the general steps in a recent blog about natural remedies for the common cold.
HYGIENE
Always wipe from the front (vagina) towards the back (rectum), ideally using plain unscented toilet paper. Wash the rectal area with water and soap or hypoallergenic wipes after a bowel movement until clean.
Wear all cotton underwear or no underwear and avoid tight synthetic clothing, as bacteria thrive in the moist heat created by this practice. If you need to wear panty hose stockings, use those with a 100% cotton crotch. Likewise, change into dry clothing after swimming and sweat-inducing exercise.
Change sanitary pads and tampons frequently, at least every time you go to the bathroom. Use the organic brands of tampons and/or pads or a menstrual cup instead.
Avoid bubble baths, perfumed soaps and bath oils, as they can change the delicate acid base balance and cause inflammation of the urethra. Even colored toilet paper and certain laundry detergents have been known to aggravate UTIs in sensitive individuals.
Women who get frequent bladder infections and use the diaphragm may need to be fitted for a smaller size or one with a less rigid rim, or switch to a different contraceptive. Some women react to the spermicide used with the diaphragm, as well as with sponges, condoms and foam and may need to consider alternative methods.
Avoid traumatic sexual or anal intercourse and repeated episodes of sex in a short time. Have a tall glass of water before intercourse to dilute and flush out possible bacteria. Urinate and wash with cool water afterwards, as sex may transfer bacteria from the bowel forward towards the urethra (the tube where the urine comes out).
Drink strong Nettle leaf Infusion every day to strengthen the kidneys if you are prone to UTIs. To prepare your own herbal infusion of Nettles:
Steep a handful of the dried herb in a quart of boiling water for at least 4 hours.
Strain to a glass canning jar.
Add a splash of lemon or lime juice, fresh mint leaf or a dash of honey to taste (optional).
Drink 1-3 cups daily.
At the First Suspicion of a UTI
Reputable brands of the supplements and remedies I recommend below include Innate Response, Wish Garden, Gaia, Herb Pharm, Wise Woman Herbals, Pure Encapsulations and Eclectic Institute, or any of those in my online holistic apothecary.
In addition to upping your hydration, drink 8 fluid ounces of UNSWEETENED cranberry juice every 2 hours, which has been studied to prevent bacteria from adhering to the bladder wall, acidify the urine making it hostile to the causative bacteria, and effectively treat bladder infections. You can make your own by using cranberry juice concentrate diluted in water or other juices to reduce the sour taste, or by adding powdered cranberry as directed to your smoothie, apple sauce, yogurt or oatmeal. OR take encapsulated powdered cranberry 800-900 mg or the studied brand Cranactin 1-2 capsules every 3-4 hours with plenty of water until symptoms resolve. Dr. Aviva Romm reports the most success with a Cranberry-D-Mannose supplement, 2 capsules twice per day. If you are prone to frequent UTIs or are going on a honeymoon get-away weekend with your partner, you can take ½ dose of any of the cranberry supplements daily and drink extra water for prevention.
Take 500–1000 mg of Vitamin C with bioflavonoids every 4-6 hours for 3-5 days or until a few days after you are better, but limit dose to 500 mg daily in the past 36 weeks of pregnancy.
Eat a bulb of fresh garlic cloves daily. You can make it delicious by sautéing them in olive oil, salt, pepper and a dash of parsley. If you prefer raw garlic, eat several cloves twice a day. You can crush it into your salad, or cut it and swallow as a pill. Eating it with parsley reduces the odor. Another wonderful option is to take New Chapter’s Garlicforce, a capsule of mild tasting supercritical fresh organic garlic, 1-2 capsules daily as directed with 8 ounces of water per capsule until the UTI resolves. Garlic is a powerful natural antibiotic that safely kills unwanted germs while preserving flora that normally resides in the body.
To boost your immunity, fight infection and reduce inflammation, take Gaia’s Echinacea Supreme, 1-2 dropperfuls in juice or water every few hours, and then three times daily for a week after your symptoms resolve.
Take Marshmallow Root as directed if you need to soothe the pain of inflammation in your urinary tract.
Drink even more fluids (up to 14 glasses a day, or a glass of water every ½ to 1 hour) to further dilute the bacteria and flush them out. Try drinking 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with juice 3 times daily to acidify urine and kill bacteria.
Drink a cup every half hour of barley water with lemon juice. To make this concoction, simmer a handful of whole barley and cut pieces of one lemon in plenty of water for 40 minutes, strain off and drink daily.
Take a high colony count mega probiotic (2-4 capsules twice daily until symptoms resolve, then continue with 1-2 capsules per day) to increase the amount of normal bacterial flora to offset the imbalance which created infection. This is especially important if your gut microbiome has been disrupted from antibiotics.
Homeopathic remedies are very safe in pregnancy, and when you get the correct remedy to your particular symptoms, they can help your body to heal quickly and naturally on its own. Start with a common effective remedy like Cantharis 30c; take 3-5 pellets under your tongue every few hours for the first day, but if no relief, you may need a different remedy. An excellent reference is Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicine by Dr. Stephen Cummings MD and Dana Ullman MPH. If you need more personalized support, consult your professional classical homeopath. You can also drink Weleda’s Sarsaparilla tea at least twice per day.
Take a daily bath or use a sitz bath to direct the healing where it is most needed, and add to the warm water a few drops of essential oils of bergamot, lavender, and/or sandalwood. Use the mixture in your peri-bottle to wash yourself after urination, squirting your genitals towards the back while on the toilet. Both the sitz bath and peri-bottle will come in handy postpartum as well.
Get extra rest and keep warm with additional clothing or blankets as needed to avoid feeling chilled.
If You Are Passed the First Trimester or are NOT Pregnant
Take a short course of encapsulated extract of Uva Ursi while temporarily stopping the cranberry which blocks its effect. Dosage recommendations are 1-2 capsules, 400-800 mg tablets, or 1 dropperful of liquid tincture 3-4 times per day up to 3-5 days. You can also make your own herbal infusion by adding a handful of the leaves of Uva Ursi to a glass canning jar filled with water, brew for a few hours, strain and drink. Dr. Aviva Romm advises drinking it hot or cold ¼-1 cup every 4 hours, increasing the dose depending on the severity of your symptoms. For bladder pain, spasm, and cramping, she recommends 1-2 dropperfuls each of Cramp Bark and Wild Yam tincture every 2-4 hours the first 24 hours, then every 4-6 hours for the next 24 hours. You can also take oil of Oregano 1 capsule three times daily to treat the infection.
When to Call
Consult your practitioner if you do not notice improvement by 24 hours, and full resolution of symptoms within 3-5 days, after following the above suggestions or if you start to feel ill and develop such symptoms as:
High fever
Shaking chills
Sweats
Muscle aches
Marked weakness and exhaustion
Low back or flank pain
Severe abdominal pain
Headaches
Nausea and vomiting
Increased burning pain or persistent blood in the urine
Under these circumstances, you may need antibiotics for a more serious infection. Always contact your practitioner if you feel consistent cramping, contractions, or hardening of the uterus (over 4 per hour), lower back ache or pelvic pressure, or bleeding or fluid leaking from the vagina, as these may be signs of labor.
Healthy nonpregnant women may wait 48 hours of trying the natural remedies before reaching out to a professional, if the burning pain is slight, the frequent urination is mild and there are no other symptoms.
Ideally get a urine culture before treatment, to not only confirm or rule out a urinary tract infection, but also to determine what organism is responsible and what antibiotic it is sensitive to. If you must take antibiotics, take the full course even after you feel better. Eliminate sugar intake and take probiotics, 2 capsules twice daily for a week after your finish the antibiotics, to restore the balance of healthy bacteria in your body, prevent a vaginal yeast infection and minimize stomach upset. And continue to follow the above suggestions.
Do another follow-up urine culture after you complete the natural treatment or prescription medication, and every trimester if you are pregnant or have a history of recurrent UTIs, to make sure the infection has been successfully eradicated and does not recur (which can happen, even though you do not feel symptoms).
As always, if you need more guidance, schedule a consultation with me.