What causes excessive amniotic fluid?

The so-called amniotic fluid is the fluid present in the amniotic cavity of the uterus when a woman is pregnant. It is an indispensable component for maintaining the vital signs of the fetus. If there is too much amniotic fluid, it will have a very great impact on the health of the fetus and may even cause fetal malformations, easily lead to pregnancy, and complications of diabetes. There are many reasons for excessive amniotic fluid, such as fetal anemia, fetal malformations, or multiple births, etc.

1. Gestational diabetes leads to polyhydramnios:

If you have gestational diabetes and it's not well controlled, you may have polyhydramnios. About 10% of pregnant women with diabetes are diagnosed with polyhydramnios, usually during the third trimester.

2. Twins or multiple births cause polyhydramnios:

If you are pregnant with twins or more, you may also experience polyhydramnios. Polyhydramnios is particularly common in cases of twin-twin transfusion syndrome, where one fetus has too little amniotic fluid and the other has too much.

3. Fetal malformation leads to excessive amniotic fluid:

Rarely, due to disease, the fetus can no longer swallow amniotic fluid, even though the fetus's kidneys continue to produce urine. Causes of dysphagia in the fetus may include pyloric stenosis, cleft lip, cleft palate, or some gastrointestinal obstruction. Some neurological disorders can also prevent the fetus from swallowing, such as neural tube defects or hydrocephalus.

4. Fetal anemia leads to excessive amniotic fluid:

In even rarer cases, polyhydramnios may also be a sign that the fetus is severely anemic due to RH blood type incompatibility, infection with infectious erythema, and other diseases. Both conditions can be treated with intrauterine blood transfusions. If it is erythema infectiosum, your baby may be able to recover on his own without treatment.