What Menstruation Can Reveal About Protein in Your Urine?

Is it ideal to undergo urine examination during menstruation? Can menstruation affect protein in urine? Let’s find out here.

Can Menstruation Affect Protein in Urine? 

During your menstrual period, you can’t undergo urinalysis. Menstrual blood contaminates a urine sample. Non-contaminated urine that looks red can mean blood or pus in the urine.

And if there’s blood or pus in the urine, it can translate to urinary tract infection and other certain diseases.

Now, if you submit a urine sample with menstrual blood, the lab will report the RBC in the urine, giving it a false result.

Thus, you need to wait for a few days after your menstruation ends before you submit a urine sample.

But will the sample return positive for albumin?

If you have kidney disease, your urine sample with menstrual blood may return positive for albumin and sugar. But it’s not the menstruation that causes the protein in the urine. Rather, it’s your kidney disease.

Proteinuria or protein in the urine may not always indicate kidney disease. It can be that the protein is induced because you exercised before urine collection.

Protein in Urine 

Proteinuria or protein in urine can be a sign of kidney damage. Proteins are large. They can’t get through the filtration system of the kidneys.

However, if your kidneys are damaged, their filtration ability is compromised. It means that large substances can pass through filtration.

There’s of course a small amount of protein that can pass through the kidneys and it’s seen in the urine. But the amount is less than 150mg/day. If it’s higher, then it’s associated with kidney function failure.

Proteinuria affects 3.3 percent of the US population. It’s commonly seen in elder people with chronic diseases.

Causes of Protein in Urine 

Just because you have protein in the urine, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have kidney disease. The proteinuria result may be benign. It can indicate that you have a temporary medical condition.

Dehydration, low blood pressure, and inflammation can cause protein in the urine.

Emotional stress and intense exercise can also trigger proteinuria.

And if you have kidney stones in the urinary tract, protein can be seen in the urine.

If you’re diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, your kidney function is slowly failing. Hence, you are required to undergo dialysis.

Diabetes and hypertension can also damage kidneys. Lupus and other immune disorders can also lead to kidney failure.

Read: Can Menstruation Cause Fever?

Symptoms of Protein in Urine 

If your kidney problems are just starting, you may not experience symptoms. However, if the damage is already advanced, you may experience the following symptoms:

• Frequent urination
• Nausea and vomiting
• Shortness of breath
• Lack of appetite
• Muscle cramping
• Foamy urine

Can You Prevent Proteinuria? 

You can prevent proteinuria by living a healthy lifestyle. It means that you need to eat the right food and avoid activities that can damage your kidneys.

Since proteinuria is a sign of a chronic condition, you need to treat the condition first before proteinuria can be treated or controlled.

Read: Massage Therapy Benefits

Conclusion 

Can menstruation affect the protein in urine? It can’t if you don’t have kidney disease. But it’s not advisable to submit a urine sample during menstruation.

On the other hand, if you are looking for ways to reduce your reliance on the use of sanitary napkins, you may try this period underwear.