喵咪社区

Both men and women can get kidney stones. A urologist with 喵咪社区 Verdugo Hills Hospital, part of 喵咪社区, offers women special advice for managing them.

Passing a kidney stone is right up there with 鈥渆ating a frog鈥� or 鈥渟ticking needles in my eyes鈥� on the list of things we 诲辞苍鈥檛 want to do.

But kidney stones 补谤别苍鈥檛 often on the list of things women think about when experiencing issues 鈥渄own there.鈥� Jamal Nabhani, MD, a urologist with 喵咪社区 Urology, part of 喵咪社区, who also treats patients at , thinks they should be.

What is a kidney stone?

A kidney stone is crystallization of minerals and salts that are usually dissolved in urine.

鈥淲hen they come out of solution, they can create a small crystal, like a grain of sugar,鈥� Dr. Nabhani explains. 鈥淪lowly over time, these grow to the size of a small pebble and, in extreme cases, can grow large enough to fill the entire area where your urine collects in your kidney.鈥�

That鈥檚 when a kidney stone 鈥� also called a nephrolith, from 鈥渘ephro-,鈥� meaning 鈥渒idney,鈥� and 鈥�-lith,鈥� meaning 鈥渟tone鈥� 鈥� can start causing problems.

What are the complications of kidney stones?

Although small stones often pass through the urinary tract without incident, larger ones can get stuck, blocking the ureter that connects the kidney to the bladder and causing considerable pain, Dr. Nabhani says.

鈥淭he most dangerous presentation,鈥� he adds, 鈥渋s a kidney stone superimposed with an infection, which can land people in the ICU and become life-threatening if they 诲辞苍鈥檛 get prompt attention.鈥�

Do women get kidney stones?

These complications can strike anyone who develops a kidney stone 鈥� and according to Dr. Nabhani, 12% of us at some point in our lives will.

And though men have historically suffered from a higher incidence of kidney stones than women, women seem to be catching up.

One reason is poor diet. 鈥淪ome of the biggest risk factors for developing kidney stones are increased salt intake, high protein intake and not eating many fresh fruits and vegetables,鈥� Dr. Nabhani says. 鈥淪o, as we鈥檝e seen the Western diet deteriorate, the prevalence of kidney stones has increased for both men and women.鈥�

Infection connection

Another reason women are developing more kidney stones involves urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Kidney stones and UTIs have an interesting relationship: The former, by blocking urinary flow, can set the stage for bacterial infection; meanwhile, UTIs can exacerbate the formation of the kidney stones most likely to affect women.

As Dr. Nabhani explains, 鈥淜idney stones come in various compositions, and women tend to get more of what we call struvite stones, which are caused by recurring urinary tract infections.鈥�

As cases of struvite stones grow more common, Dr. Nabhani wants women 鈥� especially those prone to recurrent UTIs 鈥� to know about the risk.

More than just a 鈥渨omen鈥檚 issue鈥�

He also wants women to know that many symptoms they might associate with routine gynecological conditions may, in fact, signal kidney stones.

鈥淧atients with kidney stones will often present with flank or back pain, pain in the lower abdomen or burning in the pelvis,鈥� he says, 鈥渁nd those can all be confounded by menstrual pain and PCOS,鈥� or polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormonal disorder that strikes women of reproductive age.

Doctors may also mistake kidney stone symptoms for those of a UTI 鈥� a case of mistaken identity that鈥檚 complicated further by the fact that women can have both a UTI and a kidney stone at the same time.

鈥淭hese are things that women, as advocates for themselves, need to be aware of,鈥� Dr. Nabhani says, 鈥減articularly if they鈥檙e experiencing frequent UTIs or have unexplained abdominal or back pain. Patients have to be persistent with their doctors, and doctors have to listen.鈥�

Kidney stones and pregnancy

Women should also understand the considerations surrounding kidney stones and pregnancy.

鈥淵our physiology changes significantly during pregnancy,鈥� Dr. Nabhani says, 鈥渁nd that presents challenges because it limits how we approach kidney stone diagnosis and treatment.鈥�

For example, doctors detect and treat kidney stones using X-rays and anesthesia 鈥� both which can be inadvisable during pregnancy. And acquiring an infection associated with a kidney stone during pregnancy can be 鈥減roblematic鈥� for the fetus, Dr. Nabhani adds.

None of which means that women with or at risk for a kidney stone should avoid pregnancy; doctors can still safely and effectively treat kidney stones in pregnant patients. All the same, Dr. Nabhani reiterates, 鈥淭hese are things to be aware of.鈥�

Prevention is universal

Fortunately, preventing kidney stones is pretty straightforward 鈥� and it鈥檚 the same whether you鈥檙e male or female.

• Stay hydrated: Dr. Nabhani says that 50% of kidney stones result from dehydration. So, drink up! Water is Dr. Nabhani鈥檚 beverage of choice, though he also gives coffee and tea the nod, with this caveat: 鈥淭hey鈥檙e diuretics, so they can dehydrate you. But chase them with water and you鈥檒l be okay.鈥�
• Limit sodium: Excess sodium consumption can force the kidneys to excrete more calcium in the urine, increasing the risk for calcium-based kidney stones. Dr. Nabhani recommends capping sodium intake at 2,000 mg per day. And that, he says, is 鈥渁 matter of making your own food as much as you can, reading food labels and trying not to eat a lot of processed or fast food.鈥�
• Moderate protein: High-protein diets can also promote excessive calcium excretion, which is why Dr. Nabhani advises consuming a 鈥渒idney-healthy鈥� amount 鈥� 60 to 70 grams per day. 鈥淵ou 诲辞苍鈥檛 have to go vegetarian, but limiting meat intake to one small-ish serving per day is a good idea,鈥� he says, defining 鈥渟mall-ish鈥� as roughly the size of your cell phone.
• More produce: Much of the research into diet and kidney stones finds that eating more produce can increase urine volume by half a liter per day, diluting its solute concentration and reducing the risk of kidney stone formation. 鈥淪o, all things being equal,鈥� Dr. Nabhani says, 鈥渏ust increasing your fruit and vegetable intake goes a long way toward prevention.鈥�

If this sounds like garden-variety health advice, that鈥檚 because it is. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 the point I always make to my patients,鈥� Dr. Nabhani concludes. 鈥淭he recommendations we鈥檙e making are good for your kidneys, your heart, hypertension, diabetes prevention 鈥� everything else. It鈥檚 a win-win.鈥�

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