A urine culture is collected at the first prenatal visit.
This is done primarily to check for silent urinary tract infections, more commonly known as UTIs. Pregnant women seem to be more prone to UTIs than they are normally. If infection is present, the culture will determine which organisms are responsible for the infection. Knowing the specific organism allows the doctor to determine antibiotic sensitivity, finding out which antibiotic would be most effective in treating that specific infection.
Why it’s important: UTIs can lead to kidney infections. If the infection is allowed to progress, this could lead to harmful effects on the pregnancy, as well as increase the risk for sepsis (a serious life-threatening infection involving the blood) in the mother.
