Will pregnant women have less amniotic fluid if they have diarrhea?

Pregnant women often suffer from diarrhea due to intestinal problems during pregnancy. In fact, diarrhea in pregnant women will indeed have a great impact on the fetus. First of all, frequent diarrhea can easily cause premature birth or miscarriage, and it will unhealthily infect the uterus. Diarrhea generally will not reduce the amount of amniotic fluid, but less amniotic fluid can also be very harmful, and you need to go to the hospital for regular check-ups.

Will diarrhea in late pregnancy cause a decrease in amniotic fluid?

Diarrhea in the late pregnancy will not cause a decrease in amniotic fluid, because one is a gastrointestinal reaction, and the other is a normal reproductive reaction during pregnancy. Moreover, the amniotic fluid is not static. It may be less today, but more in two days. It is mainly composed of placental tissue fluid, fetal urine, etc. When oligohydramnios is detected, treatment options can be chosen based on whether the fetus has any deformities or the size of the gestational age.

1. Oligohydramnios combined with fetal malformation

If fetal malformation has been confirmed, the pregnancy should be terminated as soon as possible. Transabdominal amniocentesis under B-mode ultrasound guidance can be used to inject ethacridine to induce labor.

2. Oligohydramnios combined with normal fetus

When oligohydramnios is found but the fetus is developing normally, the cause should be found and eliminated. By increasing the amount of fluid replacement, placental function can be improved and infection can be prevented. Pregnant women should monitor their fetal movements by counting them, and doctors should perform fetal biophysical scoring. Through dynamic monitoring with B-mode ultrasound, the amount of amniotic fluid and the ratio of the highest blood flow velocity in systole to the lowest blood flow velocity in diastole (S/D) of the umbilical artery are obtained, and electronic fetal monitoring is performed to closely monitor the intrauterine condition of the fetus.

What to do if there is too much amniotic fluid

Daily care: Pregnant women with excessive amniotic fluid need to ensure a low-salt diet and reduce water intake. Rest in bed more often, lying on your left side, to improve uterine placental circulation and prevent premature birth. The amniotic fluid index and fetal growth should be checked every week.

Medical treatment : The treatment of polyhydramnios mainly depends on whether the fetus has any deformities, the gestational age, and the severity of the compression symptoms of the pregnant woman. If polyhydramnios is diagnosed, the doctor will generally request a high-definition B-ultrasound examination to see if the fetus has any malformations; amniocentesis may also be performed to see if the fetus has any genetic defects. At the same time, during the remaining pregnancy, regular fetal heart monitoring and B-ultrasound examinations are needed to closely monitor the growth and development of the fetus.

If there is polyhydramnios and fetal malformations, the pregnancy needs to be terminated, usually by artificial rupture of membranes. If the fetus is normal, the following measures should be taken for treatment:

1. Amniocentesis decompression: For patients with severe compression symptoms, short gestational age, and immature fetal lungs, transabdominal amniocentesis can be considered to relieve symptoms and prolong gestational age.

2. Treatment with prostaglandin synthase inhibitors: Indomethacin 2.2-2.4 mg/(kg·d), orally taken in 3 divided doses. Indomethacin has an inhibitory diuretic effect and can inhibit fetal urination to reduce the amount of amniotic fluid. However, while taking the medication, the changes in amniotic fluid volume and fetal heart rate should be closely observed. If the amount of amniotic fluid decreases significantly or the ductus arteriosus is narrowed, the medication should be stopped immediately.

3. Etiological treatment: If the polyhydramnios is caused by pregnancy complicated with diabetes, blood sugar needs to be suppressed; if the polyhydramnios is caused by maternal and fetal blood insolubility, the fetus is not yet mature and has edema, or the umbilical cord blood shows Hb<60g/L, fetal intrauterine blood transfusion should be considered.

4. Management during delivery: After natural labor, artificial rupture of membranes should be performed as soon as possible. If uterine contractions are still weak after rupture of membranes, low-concentration oxytocin can be given intravenously to enhance uterine contractions, and the progress of labor should be closely observed. Uterine contractions should be used promptly after the fetus is delivered to prevent postpartum hemorrhage.