The intimate relationship both anatomically and functionally between the bladder and the female generative organs is largely overlooked in our management of the parturient woman. When we remember that, for the most part, the female bladder has its blood, lymphatic and nerve supplies in common with the generative organs, we are in a position to realize that the changes of pregnancy in the uterus and vagina must largely be duplicated in the bladder. Congestion, edema, increased vessel caliber, hypertrophy of the mucosa and muscle coats, increased capacity and altered form are all changes which the bladder shares with the pregnant uterus.
THE BLADDER IN PREGNANCY
Pelvic congestion and the direct pressure of the enlarged uterus, as yet a pelvic organ, account for most of the bladder symptoms of the first trimester. Increased vascularity of the bladder wall can be noted with the cystoscope as early as the sixth week. The