Incidence of urinary tract infection during pregnancy

Incidence of urinary tract infection [UTI] during pregnancy among Pakistani women was examined. Midstream urine was collected from 250 pregnant and 100 control women and streaked on blood agar and incubated. Growth was considered significant if > / = 10[5]/mL bacteria were present. Among the pregnant women, 28.5% had UTI; 30.0% of controls had UTI. Among the pregnant and control women, 24.4% and 20.0% respectively had UTI symptoms, such as incontinence, nocturia and urgency. Symptoms did not correlate with incidence. Socioeconomic status, personal hygiene, education level, pregnancy duration, postcoital washing, contraceptive use and use of underclothing had no significant association with UTI occurrence. A history of past urological problems was associated with an increased incidence of UTI in pregnancy