Why does the amniotic fluid reduced

So, now what? Later-stage pregnancies that experience low amniotic fluid can cause complications during labor and birth and an increased chance of birth by c-section and are most often treated through the delivery of your baby. Doctors may also recommend alternative treatments, like fluid injections or amnio-infusions via an intrauterine catheter.

Moms, consult with your physician to get help in providing the best care for your baby. Intermountain Healthcare is a Utah-based, not-for-profit system of 24 hospitals includes "virtual" hospital , a Medical Group with more than 2, physicians and advanced practice clinicians at about clinics, a health plans division called SelectHealth, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in clinical quality improvement and efficient healthcare delivery.

Which should I choose? Authors Topics. Home Blogs Topics Intermountain Moms Facebook Twitter. Leaking or a Rupture of the Membranes: This refers to a gush of fluid or a slow trickle of fluid that occurs because of a tear in the membrane. A premature rupture of the membrane can also result in lower levels of amniotic fluid. Post-Date Pregnancy: This refers to a pregnancy that goes beyond 42 weeks. In such cases, a woman can have low amniotic fluid levels that could be a result of the decline in the placental function.

Maternal Complications: Factors such as hypertension, preeclampsia, maternal dehydration, diabetes, and chronic hypoxia can affect the levels of the amniotic fluid. Several signs and symptoms may lead to suspicion of low levels of amniotic fluid.

They include: Leaking fluid Lack of feeling the movement of your baby Small measurements An amniotic fluid index of 5cm or less. How to Treat Low Amniotic Fluid? Apollo Experience At Apollo Clinic, our Obstetrics Department understands the importance of your health, especially during pregnancy; and provides you with the support you need.

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Abhishek Mahajan - Indirapuram. During the second half of pregnancy, amniotic fluid is made up of the baby's urine and lung secretions. This liquid originally came from the mother, and then flowed through the placenta, to the baby, and out through the baby's bladder and lungs Brace This same amniotic fluid is then swallowed by the baby and re-absorbed by the lining of the placenta.

Because the mother's fluid levels are the original source of amniotic fluid, changes in the mother's fluid status can result in changes in the amount of amniotic fluid. Amniotic fluid levels increase until the mother reaches about weeks, and then levels gradually decline until birth Brace The gold-standard method is to inject the amniotic sac with dye and then take samples of the amniotic fluid to check the dilution. However, this method is very invasive.

So the most commonly used methods instead are 2 ultrasound techniques: the amniotic fluid index AFI and the single deepest pocket Gilbert To calculate the AFI , the technician divides the uterus into 4 areas.

The largest fluid pocket in each area is measured, and then these 4 numbers are added make up the AFI. An AFI value of 5 cm or less is considered oligohydramnios. With the single deepest pocket method, the technician looks for the largest pocket of amniotic fluid in the uterus.

If the largest pocket is less than 2 cm by 1 cm, then that is considered a diagnosis of oligohydramnios Nabhan and Abdelmoula It is important to understand that amniotic fluid levels exist on a continuum and that there is no agreement among researchers about the cut-off value that predicts poor outcomes - the AFI level of 5 was arbitrarily chosen to define oligohydramnios Nabhan and Abdelmoula Furthermore, a large body of research has shown that both AFI and single deepest pocket are poor predictors of true amniotic fluid volume.

There are several factors that make it difficult to get an accurate ultrasound measurement. As fluid levels decrease, ultrasound results become less accurate. Inexperience on the part of the technician can reduce the accuracy of the test results, as well as the amount of pressure that the technician puts on the ultrasound probe.

The position of the baby can also affect the accuracy of the results. Nabhan and Abdelmoula ; Gilbert In a Cochrane review, researchers combined the results from 5 randomized controlled trials with more than 3, women.

In these studies, women were randomized to either the AFI method or the single deepest pocket method. Researchers found that when the AFI is used to measure amniotic fluid, women were 2. The researchers concluded that the single deepest pocket measurement has fewer risks and should be the preferred way to measure amniotic fluid Nabhan and Abdelmoula What is the clinical significance of low amniotic fluid when a mother reaches 37 or more weeks?

In the U. Image Source robenjoyce. However, this belief is not accurate. In early studies on amniotic fluid and outcomes, researchers included babies with congenital defects , women with pre-eclampsia or intrauterine growth restriction IUGR , and women who were post-term past 42 weeks in their samples. These women and babies are more likely to have low amniotic fluid, and they are also much more likely to have poor outcomes. So although early researchers found that babies born to women with low amniotic fluid had higher perinatal mortality rates Chamberlain, Manning et al.

There is no evidence that isolated oligohydramnios at term is a risk factor for poor outcomes. However, induction for isolated oligohydramnios leads to higher Cesarean rates. In a systematic literature review, I found 5 studies from the last 10 years. I will discuss the 3 highest quality studies here. For results from all 5, you can see my findings summarized in this Google document table here.

After controlling for the fact that some women were induced and some women were having their first baby, the researchers found no association between Cesarean for non-reassuring heart rate and amniotic fluid. This means that the inductions were probably responsible for the higher Cesarean rates in the low amniotic fluid group.

However, when the researchers controlled for gestational age, they found that the association between low birth weight and low amniotic fluid remained significant. This means that women with low amniotic fluid were 2 times more likely to have a baby that is born beneath the 10th percentile. These babies may have had undiagnosed fetal growth restriction IUGR , which is a separate risk factor for poor outcomes. So what is the evidence for induction because of low amniotic fluid without any other complications at term?