Protein found in Urine - 24 hr test

Has anyone had to take the 24hr urine test, where you have to basically pee in a jug (Classy!) for 24 hrs and then it is sent to the lab to test for protein in it?

I did this last week, and my results showed "borderline high protein". Basically they will monitor me carefully and make me retest in a week or so. I do not have high blood pressure or any kind of water retention, so I am hoping its not Pre E I am only 31 weeks.

Anyone have any experience with this?

Re: Protein found in Urine - 24 hr test

yes i had to do this at 32w. my levels were pretty high. my BP was perfect at the time but i did have lots of water retention. it was pre-e.
i was admitted to the hospital at 32w4d on bedrest and i delivered 5 days later at 33w1d due to developing HELLP syndrome which is a complication of pre-e.

good luck!!!!
def FM if you want to chat about it!

Message edited 8/7/2011 11:59:15 AM.

Re: Protein found in Urine - 24 hr test

that doesn't sound good. see the thing i HATE about the PA at my office, is everything is "no big deal" and "not to worry about it" my GD and now this ...ugh
I don't have an apt until Monday to actually talk to a doctor which is why i posted here. Once i get a better idea of what I actually have (how high my levels are ) I will def FM you.

Thank you for responding.



this never gets easier for either of us huh?

Re: Protein found in Urine - 24 hr test

i didnt know what my levels were, but the morning after i handed in the 24 hour collection, it was 830am and i was on the train to work and my phone rang. i saw it was the dr.'s office and i thought "oh great, they never call you about anything good at 8:30am." he said i needed to go to the hospital to be monitored and said i "might" need to stay overnight. i said i was on the way to the city on the train and the next stop was penn station. he said "don't pull the emergency brake but you need to get off and get back on in the other direction. you need to get to the hospital in the next few hours."

i went and they did a sono that showed my amniotic fluid levels were low. my BP was fine. they brought in the resident dr. and he confirmed the sono results and that the baby was head down. then they brought in the MFM doctor who confirmed the low fluid and that the baby's weight was more like a 30-31w at the time which was like the 12th percentile. she said it was only a concern because my prior weights had been over 50 percentile. she said that was a sign that there was some form placental disease or malfunction. so all of those factors combined they admitted me and gave me the steroid shots and the next day decided to keep me til i delivered. my OB said he thought i had 10-14 days although he was hoping to get me to 36w.

4 days later i went to bed with heartburn and figured it was from the food people brought me in the hospital. the nurses gave me pepcid. i woke up in the middle of the night and heartburn became pain under my ribs and around my back and i couldnt go back to sleep because of the pain. that morning they ran my blood which was all messed up and thats when we knew it would be delivery day because I had developed HELLP. the rest of the story is quite long so if you want to read it here is my birth story .

the fact that you weren't sent to the hospital is a good sign. my dr. is usually very laid back too so sending me to the hospital meant my protein numbers must've been terrible. like i said above they kept me because a lot of things were off by then. assuming you just have borderline protein and everything else is good - they will prob just want to monitor you closely but maybe not hospital bedrest like me.

i know a few people who had protein but never developed full pre-e and delivered full term, so just having protein alone isn't necessarily a guarantee that you'll develop serious pre-e. just make sure to take it easy so that your blood pressure remains stable. keep an eye out for headaches, upper stomach/ribcage aches, excessive water weight gain (VERY swollen feet, unusual weight gain on the scale...)and vision changes like blurriness or floaters. all of those are signs that pre-e is progressing and you'll need to tell your doctor.

good luck, and you are right, it doesnt get any easier!! do you have any known clotting issues? apparently blood clotting issues put us at higher risk for pre-e and HELLP.

def keep me updated, i
that it's just borderline protein and you sail through the next 5-9 weeks of pregnancy!!!

Message edited 8/7/2011 1:40:27 PM.

Re: Protein found in Urine - 24 hr test

I had varying amounts of protein in my urine (200-500) from 28 weeks on. I had pregnancy induced hypertension from much earlier on. I made it to 37 weeks before my MFM decided to induce me to prevent full blown pre-e. If you are closely monitored and are able to try and rest as much as possible, most docs will let you go as long as it is safe for you and babies! I had to go to MFM and reg. OB each once a week to keep tabs. Hang in there!!

Re: Protein found in Urine - 24 hr test

Posted by FlowerWife

yes i had to do this at 32w. my levels were pretty high. my BP was perfect at the time but i did have lots of water retention. it was pre-e.
i was admitted to the hospital at 32w4d on bedrest and i delivered 5 days later at 33w1d due to developing HELLP syndrome which is a complication of pre-e.

good luck!!!!
def FM if you want to chat about it!

Re: Protein found in Urine - 24 hr test

I had high protein for a few weeks before headaches, blurred vision, high blood pressure, and extreme swelling started. That is when I did the 24 hour collection, and it was pre-eclampsia. I was 36w6d. Good luck!

Re: Protein found in Urine - 24 hr test

I had a ton of swelling so they did a 24 hour urine which came back normal this was at about 32 weeks or so. At 33 weeks 5 days I had a dr appt and my bp was really high. I started the 24 hour urine test again but when I went to the high risk dr the next day they decided to deliver me that day bc my bp was so high. Just make sure you stay on top of it, rest and drink alot of water! hang in there!

Re: Protein found in Urine - 24 hr test

Thank you so much ladies for responding.