When you hold your infant for the first time, it’s another thing you almost forget: During pregnancy, urinary tract infections (UTIs) are frequent.
Your bladder becomes loosened and fuller as a result of your expanding uterus and fluctuating hormone levels, which makes developing a UTI simpler.
What you need to know about drinking cranberry juice while pregnant is provided here.
Cranberry juice is safe throughout all three trimesters.
According to many studies, the consumption of Cranberry juice during pregnancy is safe for both you and your unborn child.
S0, although cranberry juice is a well-known natural treatment for UTIs, is it safe to consume while pregnant for both you and your unborn child? Will it aid in the treatment or avoidance of a UTI when you are expecting? Or perhaps you simply like the taste of this berry juice’s tartness.
Read on to learn more.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
✅ Cranberry juice is safe to consume when expecting.
✅ It is risk-free for you and your child and could possibly aid in avoiding a UTI.
✅ Additionally, it can control the growth of microorganisms there. However, cranberry juice cannot be used to treat a UTI.
✅ Antibiotics are the primary line of treatment if you do have bacteria in your urine (even if you don’t have any symptoms) or if you have a UTI.
✅ If left untreated, a bladder bacterial infection might result in serious side effects, such as a kidney infection.
✅ Attend all of your prenatal appointments and notify your doctor as soon as you experience any UTI symptoms.
Cranberry juice is safe to consume during the entire pregnancy.
Cranberries are associated with UTIs as a herbal treatment because they might aid in preventing bacteria from adhering to the walls of the bladder and urinary system. This is crucial because bacteria cannot expand too much if they cannot find an appropriate area to dwell.
Even if you don’t have any symptoms, drinking cranberry juice won’t be able to treat or halt a UTI once you have one. If you have a UTI while pregnant, you must seek medical attention. If you have a UTI while pregnant, improper care could result in serious consequences.
Cranberry juice and pregnancy research
Though not in-depth, cranberry juice has been studied for treating UTIs during pregnancy. For instance, a 2008 pilot research including 188 pregnant women who were fewer than 16 weeks long examined the effectiveness of cranberry juice and a placebo in avoiding UTIs.
The study’s participants who consumed at least 240 milliliters (just over 1 cup) of cranberry juice daily had a 57 percent decrease in urine bacteria and reported having 41% fewer UTIs. 919 of the 68,000 women who participated in a bigger study in 2013 were found to have consumed cranberries during pregnancy.
Everyone who consumed cranberries was in good health, and consuming cranberry juice or other cranberry products posed no risk to them or their unborn children.
Possibilities of cranberries
Numerous health and nutritional advantages of cranberries and cranberry juice can be obtained. These vibrant red berries are full of polyphenols, which are antioxidants that may be good for the heart and brain. Whole cranberries are high in fiber, just like other berries. However, there is no fiber in the juice.
A good supply of vitamins and minerals in cranberries include:
- Calcium
- E vitamin
- K1 vitamin
- copper
- manganese
Another study found that including cranberry supplements in acid reflux treatment helped lower the amount of the stomach bacterium H. pylori (in non-pregnant patients). The infection in question may result in stomach ulcers.
Cranberry juice dangers and adverse consequences
If you suspect a UTI, consult your doctor.
Even if you don’t have any symptoms, a UTI during pregnancy needs to be treated. This is because developing a kidney infection during pregnancy is made more likely by any form of bacterial bladder infection.
In fact, if the kidney infection is left untreated, up to 30% of pregnant women with bacteria in their urine will get kidney infections in the later trimesters. This might be quite dangerous.
To treat a UTI, your doctor may advise a brief course of antibiotics. Although it won’t treat UTIs, cranberry juice may help avoid them. The majority of cranberry juices also include a significant quantity of sugar because they are blended with other juices to make them sweeter.
Verify the amount of sugar in your cranberry juice. To avoid and manage gestational diabetes, it’s crucial to balance the amount of sugar you consume. (Although it’s not always possible to prevent gestational diabetes.) Try to find pure, unsweetened cranberry juice that has not been sweetened further.
Add natural stevia or monk fruit sweeteners if it’s too tart or bitter for you. Adding pure, unsweetened cranberry juice to fruit and vegetable smoothies is also an option.
Taking cranberry supplements while expecting should be done with caution.
According to a tiny 2015 study, consuming a lot of cranberry juice and cranberry pills may both reduce the risk of UTIs during pregnancy. Even yet, additional study is required, and using supplements while pregnant should be done with caution.
Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees cranberry capsules and other natural supplements, their regulation is less stringent than that of prescription drugs, so they may not always be safe and effective.
This is why it’s crucial to select supplements of the highest caliber that have undergone independent purity testing. Additionally, you should see your doctor before beginning a new supplement.
If possible, stay away from cranberry supplements while you’re expecting, including powdered and capsuled varieties, unless your doctor has specifically prescribed a certain brand.
You might be unsure of what else is in them or how much cranberry extract they actually contain.