During pregnancy the woman's urinary tract is more prone to the multiplication of bacteria, which leads to urine infection is a fairly frequent infection during pregnancy.
There is a natural way to prevent this disease, and it is cranberry or american ("Cranberry"), a fruit that has demonstrated its properties to prevent urinary infections.
Between 4% and 10% of pregnant women suffer from cystitis (bladder infection), which usually appears in the first trimester and must receive treatment to avoid the risk of serious complications (such as pyelonephritis or acute kidney infection).
According to the Center for Research on Phytotherapy and the Spanish Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics (SEGO) the intake of the American red cranberry can reduce the episodes of urine infections in half, so its use is recommended to treat recurrent urine infections.
This red fruit enhances the diuretic capacity of the organism (increases urination, which prevents bacteria from being kept inside) while providing agents that make urine more acidic (in acidic media the germs have more complicated to develop).
The cranberry also exerts a non-stick effect preventing bacteria from attaching to the tissues of the urinary tract, allowing them to flow and be eliminated through the urine.
Different scientific studies have shown that it is proanthocyanidins, a plant substance of cranberry, that provide these benefits, preventing urine infections.
These previous studies led to the elaboration of a consensus document published in 2008 by the Spanish Society of Phytotherapeutic Gynecology in which the use of the American cranberry against recurrent cystitis is recommended.
This consensus was developed in collaboration with SEGO, the Spanish Association for the Study of Menopause (AEEM), the Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (SEMERGEN) and the European Pharmaceutical Law Group (Eupharlaw).
Thus, to prevent infection of urine during pregnancy we can take cranberries frequently (about 35 grams per day), a natural product without contraindications that in some places is marketed as fresh fruit, but also in dried fruits, jams, juices or pharmaceutical preparations.
