Why are leukocytes high in pregnant women?
During pregnancy, doctors diagnose increased leucocyte levels in pregnant women . Especially in the 38th week of pregnancy, the number of white blood cells increases significantly. These are well above the normal limit.
Symptoms of elevated leukocytes in pregnancy
When there is an increase in leukocytes , the affected women notice clear signs, for example white flakes in the urine. These appear in the morning urine, which doctors refer to as “flaky urine” because of this phenomenon. In people who are not carrying a child, this indicates an infection or an incompletely functioning kidney.
If the female patients are expecting a baby, leukocytosis does not exist as a sign of disease. Rather, the temporary increase in white blood cells indicates the progressive development of the unborn child. In order to protect the child from pathogens, the mother produces more leukocytes. From the 38th week of pregnancy, the fetus is ready for birth. Since women produce excessive amounts of white blood cells, there is an increased breakdown. In addition to the flakes in the urine, this leads to a change in the color of the body fluid, for example.
Changed leukocyte values at the beginning of pregnancy
Already in the first weeks of pregnancy, the number of leukocytes in the organism of the expectant mother increases. If the leukocytes are too high, your body thereby strengthens the immune system. As a rule, the value initially rises only slightly above the normal range.
As a result, those affected do not yet have any visible symptoms of leukocytosis . In the course of pregnancy, the female organism breaks down some of the immune cells, since the embryo increasingly produces leukocytes itself. As early as the seventh month of pregnancy, the unborn child has the ability to maintain its immune system independently.
After its full development, the embryo has between 9,000 and 30,000 white blood cells in one milliliter of blood. Likewise, the number of leukocytes in the mother’s body after the birth of the child could be high. The patients continue to notice the white flakes in the urine.
These result from mental and physical stressful situations. The birth and subsequent concern for the offspring are associated with great stress for the mother. Accordingly, your body needs a strengthened immune system to keep pathogens away. When the child’s mother is in childbirth, the number of white blood cells increases to up to 20,000 per milliliter of blood.
Elevated urinary leukocytes in pregnancy
Small white pieces in the urine – where do they come from?
In addition to the flaky urine, there are solid, white particles in the morning urine of pregnant women and young mothers. If their leukocytes prove to be too high, the pieces exist as a dried amalgamation of the defense cells. The phenomenon occurs when the overproduction exceeds the normal level of antibodies during pregnancy. Common causes include:
• inflammation in the body,
• cancer,
• a viral infection
, • and an autoimmune disease.
If you notice the solid particles in the urine, inform your family doctor at an early stage. He researches the reason for their formation in order to protect the fetus.
What happens if leukocytosis does not occur during pregnancy?
If the number of antibodies does not increase during pregnancy, the unborn child lacks immune protection.
In addition, the negative effect of the smallest amounts of alcohol increases due to the lack of leukocytes. If expectant mothers consume alcohol-containing beverages, they risk the child’s psychological dysfunction. This is the result of the study published in 2012: “Fetal Alcohol Exposure and IQ at Age 8: Evidence from a Population-Based-Birth-Cohort-Study”. It comes from Sarah J. Lewis et al.
