Oligohydramnios
Hearing you have oligohydramnios can be scary. Here are answers to all your questions about having low amniotic fluid -- including how to keep baby safe.
What is oligohydramnios?
Oligohydramnios is when there's not enough amniotic fluid around baby, and it could mean several things. It could mean your water has broken and some of the fluid has leaked out. Or it could be that baby's not peeing enough (yup, amniotic fluid is made of baby's pee), which could be a sign baby's not getting enough blood and nutrients from the placenta.
What are the signs of oligohydramnios?
You may be leaking fluid (yup, out of your vagina), or your OB may notice that baby’s not growing or gaining weight as quickly as he should be.
Are there any tests for oligohydramnios?
Yep. An amniotic fluid index or a maximum vertical pocket test can measure your fluid levels.
How common is oligohydramnios?
It happens in about 4 percent of pregnancies -- and in 12 percent of pregnancies that go about two weeks past baby’s due date.
How did I get oligohydramnios?
Certain health problems, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, are associated with oligohydramnios. So are pregnancies that go two or more weeks past the due date. If your membranes break early (premature rupture of membranes) or baby has a birth defect, that could also cause oligohydramnios.
How will my oligohydramnios affect my baby?
The problem with not having enough fluid is that there may not be enough cushion for the umbilical cord, so it could compress, and baby might not get adequate blood flow from it.
-- Laura Riley, MD, ob-gyn, Director of Labor and Delivery at Massachusetts General Hospital and author of You & Your Baby: Pregnancy