Reducing UTI Risk in Pregnancy

Start here: current symptoms need a doctor

What the evidence does and does not support

A great deal is marketed for this and not much is proven. Being honest about that is part of the job:

• Fluid intake has the strongest evidence. A randomised trial in women with recurrent UTIs who drank relatively little found a meaningful reduction in recurrences from drinking more. It is safe, free, and the first thing worth getting right.
• Bladder and bowel habits are physiologically sound, low risk, and under-appreciated – particularly the link with constipation, which makes complete bladder emptying harder.
• Cranberry is mixed. A Cochrane review found it may reduce recurrence in some groups, but the effect is modest where it exists, products vary enormously, and evidence in pregnancy specifically is limited.
• D-mannose and probiotics are thin. Widely marketed, mixed trial evidence, and thinner still in pregnancy.

We will not tell you a supplement prevents infection, and we would not start one in pregnancy without your doctor’s input.

Is this consult right for you?

It is probably a good fit if:

• You have had a UTI this pregnancy and would rather not have another.
• You are prone to them and want to reduce the chance between episodes.
• You are getting conflicting advice about cranberry and want to know what is worth your money.
• You want something that works alongside what your GP or midwife has already advised.

Book the full Prenatal Nutrition Assessment instead if you have several things going on at once, you are managing a condition such as gestational diabetes, PCOS or coeliac disease alongside pregnancy, you are carrying multiples, or you follow a restricted diet and want the whole picture checked.

What happens in the consult

Twenty-five minutes by telehealth, fixed price at $49. You fill in a short form beforehand, which takes about ten minutes, so the session starts with your situation rather than with background questions.

What we look at

• Your fluid intake across a real day, including how it is distributed.
• Your bladder habits, and what gets in the way of them late in pregnancy.
• Whether constipation is part of the picture, since the two travel together.
• Any supplements you have already started, and whether they are worth continuing.
• Your history of infections this pregnancy and what your GP has advised.

What you walk away with

• A realistic fluid plan built around your day, the weather and whether you are still vomiting.
• Practical changes to bladder and bowel habits that fit late pregnancy.
• A clear read on what you are taking – what has evidence, what does not, and what to raise with your doctor.
• What to do, and how quickly, if symptoms start again.

Your plan arrives by email within 24 hours, written so you can start that day. If something needs a doctor, we will say so and tell you what to ask for.

Where a dietitian fits alongside your medical care

Diagnosis and treatment belong with your GP, midwife or obstetrician. Antibiotics, urine cultures and decisions about recurrent infection are theirs. What we contribute is narrower, and worth being clear about: hydration, the constipation link, an honest read on supplements, and overall nutrition if repeated infections and antibiotics have disrupted your eating.

Where we are

Ausclin’s dietitians are based at Mount Hutton, between Newcastle and the southern shores of Lake Macquarie, and see clients in person there. These prenatal mini consults are telehealth, so you can book from anywhere in Australia, including across the Hunter, Maitland, Port Stephens, Cessnock and the Central Coast. See all prenatal consults.

Who you will see

Your prenatal dietitian

Felicity Bull

Accredited Practising Dietitian · Founder

Felicity runs Ausclin’s prenatal consults. She graduated from the University of Newcastle in 2010 and has worked clinically in the public health system ever since. Women’s health is a central part of her private practice, from fertility and conception through pregnancy and early parenthood.

Her approach is client-led and trauma-informed, and she works alongside your GP, midwife and obstetrician rather than around them.

More about Felicity →

Common questions

Where this comes from

General guidance here reflects Australian pregnancy care and the sources below. It is general information, not personal advice, and it does not replace your GP, midwife or obstetrician.

• Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (healthdirect Australia) – urinary tract infections in pregnancy.
• RANZCOG and Australian antenatal care guidance on screening for asymptomatic bacteriuria.
• Hooton TM et al. Effect of increased daily water intake in premenopausal women with recurrent urinary tract infections, JAMA Internal Medicine.
• Cochrane review of cranberry products for preventing urinary tract infections.