Kidney infections can develop into a very serious condition, especially in pregnant women. Pregnancy can make women more susceptible to kidney infections, putting the and the baby at risk. If left untreated a kidney infection can lead to kidney failure and even death.
First Signs
The initial symptoms of a kidney infection show up quite quickly. Fever, pain, chills, vomitting, constant need to urinate, pain when urinating or blood in the urine are all initial indications of a kidney infection.
Back Pain
Pregnant women often suffer from back pain especially when the ligaments are stretching to make room for a growing baby. This pain can sometimes feel quite severe. However, this should not be confused with the lower back pain that is caused by a kidney infection. Kidney infection pain occurs around the waist area and is often stabbing or short bursts of pain that can make you stop in your tracks. Round ligament pain is often constant and more of a throbbing type of pain very similar to a pulled muscle.
Urination
Pregnant women typically suffer from yeast infections or urinary tract infections more often than non-pregnant women do, and this results in difficulty or discomfort when urinating. These other infections are bothersome and uncomfortable but kidney infections will typically bring on much more severe symptoms. Severe pain or discomfort are symptoms of a kidney infection.
Exhaustion
Nearly every pregnant woman will experience this. Fatigue is extremely common in both the first and third trimesters or pregnancy. Extreme exhaustion associated with a kidney infection will have a random onset, will be severe enough to keep you from functioning properly and often is accompanied by a fever.
In Comparison with Pregnancy Symptoms
A number of normal pregnancy symptoms can sometimes mask an underlying kidney infection. A pregnant woman typically urinates more frequently than normal and experiences back pain quite often. However, if any of the symptoms seem more severe than normal, are intolerable or change the way they present themselves (If they normally occur at certain times during the day but are now occurring constantly) it's important not to overlook them.
Tags: kidney infection, back pain, kidney infections, more severe, pain that