Meconium-stained amniotic fluid

Meconium-stained amniotic fluid is a very common condition in the late stages of pregnancy. It is mainly because the fetus has roughly matured and has the ability to excrete waste, so the waste will be discharged into the amniotic fluid. It may also be because the fetus is relatively lacking in oxygen, causing its anus to become loose, causing the fetus's feces to be discharged into the amniotic fluid. There are also different degrees of meconium-stained amniotic fluid. If the situation is serious, it will have adverse effects on the fetus. Here we will introduce how to grade meconium-stained amniotic fluid.

Meconium-stained amniotic fluid refers to the relative lack of oxygen in the fetus in the uterus, which causes its anus to relax and meconium to be discharged into the amniotic fluid, causing amniotic fluid contamination.

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Causes of meconium-stained amniotic fluid

The fetus is relatively hypoxic in the uterus, causing its anus to relax and meconium to be discharged into the amniotic fluid, causing amniotic fluid contamination.

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Diagnosis of meconium-stained amniotic fluid

Because meconium contains bacteria, pregnant women with this condition are in a high-risk pregnancy and the child is a high-risk baby. If the disease continues to develop, it will cause infection in the neonate, leading to dangerous diseases such as sepsis and pneumonia.

The degree of meconium-stained amniotic fluid is as follows: Grade I: the amniotic fluid is light green and thin; Grade II: the amniotic fluid is dark green and thicker or thinner, and contains clusters of meconium; Grade III: the amniotic fluid is yellowish brown, viscous and small in quantity. Some scholars use the theory of fetal distress to explain the relationship between the degree of meconium contamination of amniotic fluid and clinical symptoms: when the fetus is in chronic hypoxia, meconium can be cleared through compensatory mechanisms (amniotic fluid circulates approximately every 3 hours), or when the fetus's umbilical cord is transiently compressed and the vagus nerve is excited, a small amount of meconium is excreted, and the clinical manifestation is degree I contamination; when the fetus is acutely hypoxic, the compensatory mechanism cannot clear the meconium in a short period of time, and the clinical manifestation is degree II contamination; when the fetus is in severe hypoxia, the compensatory mechanism fails to compensate, and the manifestation is degree III contamination, which is more common in oligohydramnios or post-term pregnancy with oligohydramnios.

The time of occurrence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid can be determined by amnioscopic examination, B-ultrasound before delivery, or by observing the characteristics of the amniotic fluid after artificial or natural rupture of membranes during delivery. If meconium staining of amniotic fluid occurs before delivery, especially in cases of degree II or III, the possibility of fetal distress should be considered. The amniotic fluid is clear when the membranes rupture, but is later found to be fecal-stained. This may be because the former amniotic fluid is clear, but the latter is contaminated and has not been discovered, or there may be fetal distress caused by factors such as prolonged labor, abnormal umbilical cord, excessive uterine contractions, cephalopelvic disproportion, and placental abruption.