Slight amniotic fluid (oligohydramnios) to the fetus

While in the womb, the baby is surrounded by amniotic fluid which protects the body. Then, what happens if the amount of amniotic water in the womb is very small (oligohydramnios)? Will it affect the baby's movements? For more details, let's look at the full explanation below.

What is oligohydramnios?

Oligohydramnios is a condition when the amniotic fluid that protects the baby in the womb is too little. In fact, the function of amniotic fluid in the womb is very important to support the baby's life.

However, it is important to note. Not all pregnant women who have a little amniotic fluid are certain to experience oligohydramnios. The reason is, there are certain measures in which pregnant women can be said to experience oligohydramnios.

If the volume of amniotic fluid is less than 500 milliliters (ml) at 32-36 weeks of gestation, then this condition is called oligohydramnios. This condition can occur at various gestational ages.

However, a small amount of amniotic fluid generally occurs in the third trimester or the end of pregnancy. The closer to the due date, usually the volume of amniotic fluid will decrease.

If you do not go into labor after the date of birth, there is less risk of developing oligohydramnios. This is because the amniotic fluid can decrease up to half as much after reaching 42 weeks of gestation so that it becomes very little.

What is the function of amniotic fluid for babies?

Amniotic fluid is an important support for the growth and development of the baby while in the womb.

Initially, amniotic fluid is produced by fluids from the body about 12 days after fertilization or the formation of a fetus in the uterus. The amniotic fluid is in the amniotic sac that has previously formed.

Furthermore, the amniotic sac gets bigger and has more fluid volume along with a larger fetus size.

When gestational age has entered the second trimester or around the 20th week, the amniotic fluid that is produced from the body begins to be replaced by baby urine.

Here, the baby in the womb learns to breathe, swallow, filter fluids, to excrete the fluid along with the amniotic fluid.

The amniotic fluid that is swallowed by the baby is then removed again from the body, so that the amount of amniotic fluid increases according to the development of the baby in the womb.

The mother's body also provides additional fluids for the baby. Launching from the Mayo Clinic page, the presence of amniotic fluid allows the baby to move freely while in the womb.

Not only that, the amount of amniotic fluid is also responsible for protecting the baby's body from infection and pressure from outside, so it must be just right and not too little.

Amniotic fluid as a baby's protection also contains various important components, such as nutrients, hormones, and antibodies to fight infection.

Another function of the baby's amniotic fluid

There are still a variety of other functions of the baby's amniotic fluid, including:

As a protective cushion for the baby's body.
Supports the growth and development of the baby's respiratory and digestive organs.
Helps the development of baby's muscles and bones.
Keep the baby's umbilical cord from being compressed because it can affect blood flow and food for the baby.
Maintain a stable temperature while the baby is in the womb.
Helping the development of various organs in the baby's body normally.

If the amniotic fluid is too little, this can certainly endanger its health and development.

What causes oligohydramnios?

One of the most potential causes of low amniotic fluid (oligohydramnios) is leakage due to rupture of the amniotic sac. In fact, the amniotic sac is both a protector and a wrap for the baby and the amniotic fluid in the womb.

A problem with the baby's kidney organs in the womb can also cause a small amount of amniotic fluid (oligohydramnios). When the baby reaches 20 weeks of age, amniotic fluid will automatically be formed from the baby's urine.

In this case, the baby's kidneys are responsible for producing urine and filtering the fluids that enter the baby's body. If the kidney function is not working properly, the baby's body will not be able to produce urine.

As explained, baby urine should have started to play a role in forming its own amniotic fluid. This then affects the amount of amniotic water in the womb to the risk of making it very small (oligohydramnios).

Because the baby's kidneys have problems, the urine that is produced as the baby's amniotic fluid is not sufficient, aka too little. But besides that, the small amount of amniotic fluid (oligohydramnios) can also be caused by various things, such as:

The gestational age is too long

Pregnancies that have passed their due date or are 42 weeks pregnant are more likely to have less amount of amniotic fluid (oligohydramnios). This happens because the function of the placenta has started to decrease.

Placenta problems

Placenta problems can interfere with blood flow from mother to fetus. As a result, the nutrients and oxygen received by the baby from the mother are insufficient.

This then causes the replacement or cycle of fluids that enter and then are excreted by the baby's body to be disturbed.

Pregnancy complications

Pregnancy complications, such as dehydration, hypertension or high blood pressure, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and hypoxia can affect the amount of amniotic fluid.

The amount of fluid you drink each day can affect the amount of amniotic fluid that is in the uterus.

So, pregnant women may often be advised to drink lots of water during pregnancy. One of the goals is to increase the amount of amniotic fluid and prevent it from getting too little.

Take drugs

Several types of drugs can affect the level of amniotic fluid in the uterus, making it less.

Medicines to lower high blood pressure and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are among those that can lower its volume.

All the causes of oligohydramnios above can make amniotic fluid less. In the end, this too little amount of amniotic fluid can cause the baby's movement in the womb to be slower and more limited.

What are the symptoms when the baby's amniotic fluid is low (oligohydramnios)?

Too little amount of amniotic fluid can affect the size of the amniotic sac, making it smaller than normal. It is not impossible, this can interfere with and limit fetal growth and development.

As a result, various oligohydramnios symptoms appear in babies that can cause facial abnormalities. Here are the symptoms of a little amniotic fluid in a baby who has been born:

The distance between the two eyes seemed a little far.
The nose looks wide.
Lower ear position than it should be.

When the condition is triggered by kidney failure, the amount of urine at birth is usually very low or even absent.

Oligohydramnios can also interfere with the development of the baby's lungs. This condition risks making it difficult to breathe when born later.

What are the possible risks when experiencing oligohydramnios?

The small amount of amniotic fluid affects the growth of the baby in the womb. For example, it can reduce and slow down the baby's movements.

If the condition of oligohydramnios has been detected since the first trimester of pregnancy, the possible risks include:

Problems with the baby's organs so that it is at risk of causing birth defects.
Increases the chance of a miscarriage or stillbirth.

Meanwhile, if you experience oligohydramnios in the second trimester of pregnancy, complications can include:

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) or the fetus does not develop in the womb.
Babies are born prematurely.
Birth complications arise, such as umbilical cord prolapse.

You need to be aware of this lack of amniotic fluid.

How is oligohydramnios diagnosed?

Doctors can diagnose the condition of oligohydramnios by using ultrasonography (USG). Before 24 weeks of gestation, the doctor will measure the possibility of normal, excessive, or too little amniotic fluid using ultrasound.

The method of checking the amount of amniotic fluid is called maximum vertical pocket. Normally, the amniotic fluid should be in the 2-8 centimeter (cm) range.

If the measurement results are below 2 cm, it means that it is included in the oligohydramnios. However, if the gestational age is more than 24 weeks, measuring the amniotic fluid can be used amniotic fluid index (AFI) or amniotic fluid index.

The measurement method is still similar tomaximum vertical pocket. It's just that in AFI, the doctor will check the amount of amniotic fluid from 4 different parts of the uterus. Then all these results will be added up to get the final AFI result.

Quoting from the American Pregnancy Association, the normal amniotic fluid index ranges from 5-25 cm. If the result is below 5, it means that the baby's amniotic fluid is very little in the womb.

For those who have been born, the doctor may perform an x-ray or x-ray of the lungs and kidneys to diagnose whether the amount of oligohydramnios is in the womb.

How to deal with oligohydramnios?

To date, there is no long-term effective treatment for oligohydramnios.

If the gestational age has entered 36-37 weeks, maybe what can be done is to give birth to the baby as soon as possible. But sometimes, the doctor may order an amnioinfusion, which is inserting fluid through the cervix.

That way, this fluid can flow into the amniotic sac. The fluid used does not contain hormones and antibodies like amniotic fluid.

However, the liquid from this amnioinfusion can help protect the baby and give him a chance to develop in the womb.

Another option for treating oligohydramnios is to give fluid injection before delivery using amniocentesis.

Amniocentesis involves using a thin needle that is inserted directly into the amniotic sac through the stomach. This aims to help maintain the movement and heart rate of the baby before and during labor.

Oligohydramnios is a serious condition during pregnancy. Do not rule out, this condition can result in miscarriage, stillbirth, or even fatal after the baby is born.

That is why it is important to regularly check your pregnancy and consult your doctor if there are problems that occur during pregnancy.