
Amniotic fluid is the environment for an unborn baby's survival and development until birth. Early detection of amniotic fluid abnormalities during pregnancy is extremely important. Amniotic fluid deficiency is one of the most unusual conditions of amniotic fluid, which can be dangerous to the unborn baby. However, most pregnant mothers do not know much or have no concept of this condition.
What is amniotic fluid? What is the cause of amniotic fluid and what should a pregnant mother do if she is diagnosed with amniotic fluid? aFamilyToday Health will help you solve through the following article.
What is amniotic fluid?
Amniotic fluid is the fluid that fills the amniotic sac around the developing fetus in the mother's womb and has very important roles such as:
Protect and protect pregnancy to avoid collisions
Prevent the umbilical cord from being pinched, as if the umbilical cord is blocked, the baby's oxygen supply will be reduced
Helps maintain a stable temperature of the fetus in the womb
Fight off infections
Allows the fetus to move easily for the proper muscle and bone development.
During the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, amniotic fluid is produced from the mother's circulatory system in the amniotic fluid. At the beginning of the 2nd trimester, the baby begins to swallow amniotic fluid and excrete it as urine, then swallow it again, regaining full amniotic fluid every few hours. This means that most of the amniotic fluid is the fetal urine. Therefore, the fetus plays an important role in keeping the correct volume of amniotic fluid in the amniotic sac. Sometimes, this balance is disrupted resulting in either too much or too little amniotic fluid.
Under normal conditions, the amount of amniotic fluid in the uterus increases until the beginning of the third trimester and increases most at week 34 to 36. The amniotic sac can now hold about 800 ml of water and the volume of amniotic fluid will gradually decrease until birth. Having too much amniotic fluid at any point in pregnancy is called poly amniotic fluid and occurs in only 1% of pregnant women . If the amount of amniotic fluid is too little, it is considered minimal amniotic fluid.
To learn more about the amniotic fluid index or the amount of amniotic fluid of the pregnant woman, the doctor will recommend a test or ultrasound according to the following procedure: taking the umbilical cord, dividing the abdomen into 4 parts with 2 horizontal lines . In each section, the doctor selects the deepest amniotic sac to measure the length. The amniotic fluid index is denoted as AFI. During the third trimester, this is normal when it ranges from 5−25 cm. If the reading is less than 5 cm, it is considered a lack of amniotic fluid.
The cause of the lack of amniotic fluid
Doctors do not always know what causes low amniotic fluid. This is most common late in the 3rd trimester, especially if you're past the due date. Here are some of the most common:
The amniotic fluid is leaking
A small tear in the amniotic membrane can cause the amniotic fluid to drain. This can happen at any stage of pregnancy, but is more common the closer you get to the date of delivery. Pregnant women may notice the leakage of amniotic fluid if the underwear is wet or the doctor finds out during vaginal exam. So tell your doctor if you suspect a leaking amniotic fluid.
A rupture of the amniotic membrane increases the risk of infection for both you and your baby, as it creates favorable conditions for bacteria to enter the amniotic sac. Once in a while, the tear in the bag heals on its own, leakage will go away and the amniotic fluid level will return to normal. This is often the case if the leak occurs after an amniocentesis . The amniotic membrane tears more, leading to rupture of the amniotic fluid . At this point, you must quickly go to the hospital to promptly handle it.
Placenta problems
The problem with the placenta is usually the premature removal of the placenta, which means that part or all of the placenta separates into the uterus, resulting in low amniotic fluid. If the placenta does not provide enough blood and nutrients to the fetus, the fetus will stop making urine.
Some other medical problems
Certain conditions such as chronic high blood pressure , preeclampsia , diabetes and lupus can also lead to low amniotic fluid.
Twins or multiple pregnancies
You are at risk of amniocentesis if you are pregnant with twins or multiple pregnancy. This can occur in the case of twin blood transfusion syndrome. This means that one fetus has too little amniotic fluid, while the other has too much.
Fetal abnormality
If you notice little amniotic fluid in the first or second trimester, this is a sign that the baby may have a birth defect. In the event that your baby's kidneys are not developing properly or the urinary tract is blocked, the fetus will not produce enough urine to maintain the volume of amniotic fluid.
What should a pregnant mother do when she is diagnosed with amniotic fluid?
If you are diagnosed with amniotic fluid deficiency, your doctor will closely monitor your baby to make sure it continues to grow normally or if you are getting closer to your due date, you may be on labor. In some cases, for example, if a pregnant mother has severe pre-eclampsia or the fetus is not growing normally in the uterus, it is necessary to give birth early.
A low amniotic fluid level increases the likelihood of complications during labor, because a low volume of amniotic fluid causes your baby's movements or your contractions to put pressure on the umbilical cord. During labor, your doctor places a flexible catheter through your cervix so that you can pump an amount of fluid (usually saline) into the amniotic fluid bag to reduce the risk of pinching the umbilical cord. If the fetus is unable to pass safely, your doctor will recommend a cesarean section.
Amniotic fluid plays a very important role in pregnant women during pregnancy. Hopefully with the information that the article provides will help pregnant mothers have safe and healthy pregnancy!