How often should I check the amniotic fluid?

Having too little amniotic fluid is very dangerous, especially in the late stages of pregnancy. It can easily lead to respiratory distress and fetal hypoxia. In this case, you must emphasize nourishing medicine, receive good treatment, and conduct timely follow-up examinations. Generally speaking, you should go to the hospital for examination every 1 to 2 weeks to determine whether the child is healthy. There are many reasons for having too little amniotic fluid, and the harm is also great, so you must pay attention to this aspect.

Causes of low amniotic fluid

What are the specific reasons for low amniotic fluid? There are mainly four reasons:

1. In case of overdue pregnancy, the placenta functions poorly, the perfusion is insufficient, the fetus becomes dehydrated, and the amount of amniotic fluid is low. Some scholars also believe that in overdue pregnancy, the fetus is overmature, its renal tubules are more sensitive to antidiuretic hormone, and the low urine volume leads to oligohydramnios. The incidence of oligohydramnios caused by post-term pregnancy is as high as 20%-30%.

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.

4. 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 tissue 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.

Effects of oligohydramnios on the fetus

All pregnant women know that amniotic fluid and placenta are the basis for the survival and growth of the fetus in the body. The instability of amniotic fluid or placenta will directly affect the growth of the fetus. As the fetus grows, the amniotic fluid and placenta in the pregnant woman's body also increase and become larger. Excessive amniotic fluid in pregnant women is not a normal phenomenon during pregnancy. On the contrary, insufficient amniotic fluid in pregnant women is an abnormal phenomenon that endangers the life of the fetus. The lack of amniotic fluid in pregnant women will directly affect the fetus's breathing in the mother's body.