ABSTRACT
Pregnancy is the period in which a foetus grows and develops inside a woman’s body. The normal duration of a pregnancy is nine months or about 40 weeks. It is a physiological state in which women go through a number of physical and emotional changes. The physical changes can be accompanied by uncomfortable symptoms such as nausea or vomiting and cause women to seek medical support and advice. A urinary tract infection (UTI) is normally caused by transfer of bacteria from the gut into the genitourinary tract where they can multiply and cause an infection. The term ‘illness perception’ describes people’s knowledge and beliefs about their illness. The nature of UTIs in pregnancy is a situation where a relatively common and easy to treat infection affects an individual whose health directly affects the health of another, the developing foetus.
