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You are pregnant and suddenly you start to feel a strange sensation, you are not sure if it is pain or discomfort. But the sensation starts to turn into pain, and the pain is in the back radiating forward. It starts to get stronger and stronger, and you get very uncomfortable and worse and worse. The pain reaches a point where you can’t stay in any position, lying, standing, sitting … Any of these positions will bother you! At a certain moment you can’t take the pain anymore and run to the emergency room to check what’s going on and the medical exam even in the clinical exam is already suspected: kidney stone!
The pain of kidney attacks is very intense! Anyone who has experienced this problem says that it is very similar to the pain of childbirth , sometimes more intense! So it is not at all pleasant when it arrives. But what causes kidney stones in pregnancy and how to deal with these pains? Kidney stones in pregnancy arise not during pregnancy, but before it. What happens is that with the increase in progesterone and other hormones, the kidney just dilates, so it becomes more likely to release the calculations there.
Renal stones are formed by the accumulation of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate crystals, in addition to being also formed by uric acid crystals. 80% of the stones are formed by calcium and 10% by uric acid. The formation of kidney stones is favored when there is a low intake of fluids, high consumption of foods that favor these elements in the kidney. In fact, the kidney is a very important organ, through which all fluids and blood in the body pass. The filtration of these liquids causes the excess of urine crystals to accumulate in the kidney, so the stone or kidney stone appears. Most of the time the stones take years to form, and they remain quietly in the kidney. The exit of these stones is the problem, with the exit the pain happens, even more when the renal stone is large, it blocks the passage of urine from the kidney to the bladder like a stopper.
The reflux of urine causes a very high pressure in the ureter channel (channel that connects the kidney to the bladder) and ends up returning to the kidney, thus causing an enlargement of the kidney and, consequently, pain. This impaction of the urine can cause several problems besides the pain, among the most common is the infection . This can reach the bladder and worse, the kidneys. The problem is when the kidney crisis happens in pregnancy, when the body will not be able to receive the proper treatment due to the baby’s formation and because it will not be able to receive the proper medication, as well as the necessary procedures.
The consequences of kidney stones can lead to severe problems during pregnancy, depending on the stage, will cause miscarriage or even premature birth . However, harm to the fetus will not cause, neither kidney crises nor even the exit of the stone. We can then conclude, what malformation will not bring. It is important to take care that the situation is not complicated so that there are no major problems.
How to Diagnose and Treat Kidney Stones During Pregnancy
Kidney stones in pregnancy can only be diagnosed by a urine test, which will check for the presence of calcium oxalate crystals or the presence of blood (by the small lesions that the stones will provide). There is a more efficient way to locate this type of problem, but through an examination that the pregnant woman cannot do , the tomography that contains a lot of radiation and is not recommended because it causes risks to the formation of the fetus.
Treatment for kidney stones in pregnancy is drinking plenty of fluids to aid in natural elimination. If the stone is too large to be eliminated naturally by the body, a procedure called endoscopic surgery (via the urethra) is recommended, which consists of locating the stone and after that, breaking with a laser and removing the pieces with a catheter called a double J through the urine channel. The procedure will not cause cuts or need stitches . Treatment during pregnancy is as simple as possible so as not to be invasive, if necessary, the doctor will recommend a more complete procedure after pregnancy.
If the complications feared as the infection happens, the doctor will treat with antibiotics appropriate to the phase and also if necessary, use of corticosteroids. At the time of the crisis, seek immediate emergency assistance, preferably those supported by a urologist. The doctor’s evaluation is essential to verify what conduct to be adopted at the time of pregnancy and to treat it correctly.
Author’s note: I had kidney stones in all pregnancies. At first it was even worse, because there were 3 crises with the output of 3 different calculations! In the others, I had only one crisis, however, in all of them I managed to “capture” the damned calculation.
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See also: Pregnancy Pains – What is Normal?
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
