Causes of the third degree of amniotic fluid contamination

The third degree contamination of amniotic fluid is very serious. This situation will cause fetal hypoxia in the uterus. There are many reasons for the third degree contamination of amniotic fluid. The most common one is meconium contamination, which often causes fetal respiratory distress. There is also the reason of vernix caseosa, which mainly refers to the immaturity of the fetus, excessive vernix caseosa on the body surface, etc. Another reason is the turbidity of amniotic fluid caused by cholestasis.

Causes of the third degree of amniotic fluid contamination

One of the reasons for turbid amniotic fluid: meconium stain

This is also what doctors worry about the most, because when the amniotic fluid is contaminated to the 3rd degree, it indicates fetal distress and intrauterine fetal death may occur at any time. But this is rare when there are no signs of labor.

The second reason for turbid amniotic fluid: vernix caseosa

It is more common before 39 weeks of pregnancy. This is just because the fetus is immature and large, and the vernix caseosa floats in the amniotic fluid. There is no danger.

The third reason for turbid amniotic fluid: Bile stasis can also make amniotic fluid turbid

The main substances in the amniotic fluid are fetal fluid and brittle hair. If it is simply turbid, it usually does not show that there is anything abnormal about the baby. If the amniotic fluid is found to be turbid during the B-ultrasound examination, it means that the fetus is not in good condition and needs to be delivered immediately.

The above are three reasons for turbid amniotic fluid. Since turbid amniotic fluid may affect the normal development of the fetus, turbid amniotic fluid should not be underestimated and the cause of turbid amniotic fluid should be found out as soon as possible.

How to assess amniotic fluid status

1 Amniocentesis

Since the amniotic fluid contains shed fetal cells, it can be used to conduct chromosomal studies through tissue culture to find out whether the fetus has congenital abnormalities. The method of extracting amniotic fluid is called "amniocentesis".

Usually when the pregnant woman is around 16 to 20 weeks pregnant, the doctor will use ultrasound and a long needle to perform abdominal puncture. Because it is guided by ultrasound, there is no concern about harming the fetus. However, there is about a one in four hundred chance of premature birth or water breaking.

It is better for older mothers, mothers who have given birth to deformed babies, or mothers with a family history of disease to undergo amniocentesis.

2 Indicators of fetal lung development

The lecithin contained in amniotic fluid increases as the fetal lungs grow and can therefore serve as an indicator of fetal lung maturity.

Clinically, a ratio of lecithin to neurophospholipids above 2 is considered normal. For some women who are premature but must give birth early, knowing the maturity of the fetus' lungs in advance will help determine the time of delivery to avoid complications caused by insufficient fetal maturity.