What to do if you have low amniotic fluid during pregnancy

There are many reasons for pregnant women to have less amniotic fluid, such as placental dysfunction, which naturally leads to insufficient amniotic fluid and causes fetal dehydration. Relevant personnel have pointed out that if the fetus is over-mature, the sensitivity of the renal tubules to antidiuretic hormone will increase, and the urine volume will decrease, which will also cause less amniotic fluid. The incidence rate of this situation is between 20% and 30%.

Causes of low amniotic fluid

1. Amniotic membrane lesions. Electron microscopic observations revealed that the amniotic epithelial layer becomes thinner when the amniotic fluid is too low, the epithelial cells atrophy, the microvilli are short and thick, the tips are swollen, the number is small, there is squamous metaplasia, the rough inner reticular and Golgi complex in the cells are also reduced, and the desmosomes and hemidesmosomes between the epithelial cells and the basement membrane are reduced. It is believed that some unexplained oligohydramnios may be related to lesions of the amniotic membrane itself.

2. Fetal malformations, such as congenital renal agenesis, renal hypoplasia, ureteral or urethral stenosis, etc., lead to oliguria or anuria and cause oligohydramnios.

3. Intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) Oligohydramnios is one of the characteristics of intrauterine growth retardation. Chronic hypoxia causes redistribution of fetal blood circulation, mainly supplying the brain and heart, while renal blood flow decreases and fetal urine production decreases, resulting in oligohydramnios.

What to do if there is little amniotic fluid

Low amniotic fluid in pregnant women can cause many problems. If you have such a problem, you must seek timely treatment. In the second trimester, if too little amniotic fluid is found, there is usually a possibility of fetal malformation, and a detailed examination is needed (such as umbilical cord blood or amniotic fluid chromosome examination to rule out chromosomal abnormalities). After ruling out the possibility of fetal malformation, the fetus's condition in the uterus and changes in the amount of amniotic fluid can be closely observed.

If oligohydramnios is caused by insufficient maternal blood volume or hypoxia, drinking plenty of water, intravenous infusion and oxygen inhalation can indeed play a certain role.

For mothers with hypercoagulation function, low molecular weight heparin can be injected subcutaneously or low molecular weight dextran can be infused intravenously to make the blood less easy to coagulate, improve the blood circulation in the placenta, and facilitate the formation of amniotic fluid.

If necessary, amniotic infusion therapy can also be used, that is, under the guidance of B-ultrasound, a puncture needle is used to inject an appropriate amount of normal saline into the amniotic cavity through the abdomen to improve the condition of oligohydramnios. This method is now recognized and adopted by more and more people, especially for some pregnant women who have unexplained oligohydramnios in the early stages and whose fetuses are immature. Amniotic fluid infusion can improve the effects of oligohydramnios on the fetus in a short period of time and maintain the normal development of the fetus.

However, a comprehensive evaluation must be conducted before undergoing these treatments. The patient must stay in the hospital during treatment and be under close monitoring to prevent adverse reactions such as allergic reactions, bleeding tendency, premature birth, miscarriage, infection, etc.