Why ketones in urine during pregnancy

Once the cause is known, testing can be done to know the levels of ketones to make the diagnosis. If the ketone levels are high, additional tests will be suggested to rule out gestational diabetes. Most of the times, gynaecologists would suggest would-be-mothers to take a ketone test if they show any of the symptoms given above, but women with Type 1 diabetes are more susceptible to developing ketones than those with a Type 2 blood sugar condition.

For this, you need to buy a testing strip from a pharmacy. As soon as you wake up in the morning, collect your urine in a clean container and dip the strip into it. Take the strip out and leave it undisturbed for a few minutes.

Compare the colour of the strip to the colour guide on the testing kit. The result ranges from negative to large. But high levels of ketones can lead to pregnancy complications like ketonuria. Higher levels of ketones in the urine may also be indicative of diabetic ketoacidosis DKA. Some studies indicate that babies born to mothers with high ketone levels may develop learning disabilities. You can prevent the production of ketones during pregnancy by eating a balanced and nutritious diet throughout.

Avoid fasting and have meals on time. Refrain from taking long gaps between meals. Instead, satiate your hunger with healthy snacks. Taking adequate rest is also important during pregnancy. If you have any concerns about your diet, consult a nutritionist for proper guidance.

Maintaining a food journal or diary can prove helpful in keeping a control on your calories. Small amounts of ketones in your morning urine can result from: not eating enough the previous day missing your bedtime snack not eating all the carbohydrate choices in your meal plan more exercise than usual on the previous day Large amounts of ketones may be seen if you have: extreme morning sickness vomiting and diarrhea so you can't eat or drink illness or infection If you become sick, it's even more important for you to regularly check your ketones.

Checking for ketones You'll check your urine for ketones each day and record the results. Ideally, ketone readings should be negative to a trace.

Avoiding ketones When to call your health care provider Call if you are sick and: your blood glucose levels are above your ideal level your urine ketones are moderate to large vomiting continues or diarrhea lasts longer than 4 hours you have a fever of This is called ketosis.

Ketones in urine during pregnancy may occur in mothers who have diabetes or develop gestational diabetes. Hormones secreted by the placenta during pregnancy hinder the role of insulin and normally this does not affect glucose uptake. Hence, in mothers with diabetes despite an adequate diet, the body is unable to use glucose efficiently for its energy requirements and it turns to using up stored fat as fuel.

Ketones in urine during pregnancy are very common in mothers with diabetes particularly if they are not taking their insulin shots properly. Since Sudha had no prior knowledge about it, she wanted to know whether ketones in pregnancy were normal.

Occasionally, it could indicate ineffective utilization of sugars by the body just like in people with deficiency of insulin i. Since this amount of glucose is more than the baby requires, it will get stored as fat, resulting in a bigger baby. You can check the levels through a test done at the laboratory. A routine urine examination is performed in each trimester in pregnant women, to rule out infections and look for protein and sugar in urine.

It is during this test that ketones in urine are picked up.