Introduction: Urinary tract infections are the most common infectious diseases after respiratory infections. Women are more susceptible due to the anatomy itself, and according to some data, about 10-20% of all women experience a symptomatic urinary tract infection during their lifetime. Only during pregnancy, however, the incidence is about 8%. This is an additional risk factor due to extensive physiological changes in early pregnancy. Purpose: The purpose of the diploma work is to present urinary tract infections in women during pregnancy, to describe risk factors and the role of the nurse in the treatment and prevention of urinary tract infections. Methods: In the diploma work we used the descriptive method with a review of Slovenian and English professional and scientific literature. Data for production were collected from March 2020 to September 2020. We searched for literature in CINAHL, Medline/PubMed, ScienceDirect databases and via remote access of the Digital Library of Slovenia (dLib.si) and the Google Scholar web browser. We included 24 articles in the review. Results: UTIs are the most common infection in pregnancy, due to changes associated with pregnant uterine pressure and the effects of progesterone. It is also affected by higher concentration and pH in the urine. In each of the three trimesters, Gram-negative bacteria (93.7%) are more prevalent than Gram-positive (6.3%) bacteria. The most common microbial pathogen during pregnancy is E. coli, which accounts for 80-90% of infections. Studies have shown that bacterial colonization of the urinary tract in pregnancy can cause detrimental health results in pregnant women and the fetus. Therefore, the current management of UTIs in pregnancy is with a short course of antibiotics, whether the infection is symptomatic or not. Nevertheless, treatment of pregnant women with antibiotics can also affect the development of the fetus and its immune system. Proper genital hygiene and a healthy diet are very important to prevent urinary tract infections. Studies have shown that cranberries and vitamin D have beneficial effects against the occurrence of UTIs. Discussion and conclusion: Health education, early identification and appropriate treatment are essential to prevent UTIs, reduce morbidity and mortality in newborns. So nurses are very important as they have to work health education and teach pregnant women about proper personal hygiene and proper nutrition.
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