Is it good for pregnant women to have too much amniotic fluid? Will drinking too much water cause too much amniotic fluid?

Amniotic fluid is the place where the baby relies on for survival in the mother's belly. Too much or too little amniotic fluid will affect the baby. Too much amniotic fluid in pregnant women is not a good thing, as it can easily lead to umbilical cord prolapse and endanger the baby's life. The amniotic fluid must be within a specified range to ensure the health of the fetus.

Is it good for pregnant women to have too much amniotic fluid?

Polyhydramnios can be divided into two types: acute and chronic. In most patients, the amount of amniotic fluid increases slowly, and there are no obvious complaints, which is chronic polyhydramnios; if the amount of amniotic fluid increases rapidly within a few days, and symptoms such as severe abdominal distension, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and inability to lie flat appear, it is acute polyhydramnios. The incidence of chronic polyhydramnios is three times that of acute polyhydramnios. As the gestational age increases, the amount of amniotic fluid continues to increase. By the 36th week of pregnancy, the amount of amniotic fluid reaches about 1L, and then gradually decreases; in overdue pregnancy, the amount of amniotic fluid can drop below 300ml. Those with more than 2000ml of amniotic fluid during pregnancy have polyhydramnios.

Excessive amniotic fluid often complicates pregnancy poisoning, with clinical manifestations of hypertension, edema, proteinuria, convulsions and coma in severe cases, threatening the lives of mothers and children; due to excessive amniotic fluid, the fetus has a large range of motion in the uterine cavity, which is prone to malposition; excessive expansion of the uterus and excessive pressure can easily cause premature birth; after rupture of the membrane, if a large amount of amniotic fluid gushes out, the pressure in the cavity suddenly decreases, which can cause umbilical cord prolapse and endanger the life of the fetus; after the amniotic fluid flows out, the volume of the uterine cavity suddenly shrinks, which can cause early placental detachment, or maternal shock due to a sudden drop in abdominal pressure; in the third stage of labor, uterine contraction weakness can cause postpartum hemorrhage. According to medical data, the premature birth rate of pregnant women with excessive amniotic fluid is twice as high as that of ordinary pregnancy; if combined with complications such as blood type incompatibility, diabetes, and umbilical cord prolapse, the perinatal mortality rate of excessive amniotic fluid is as high as 50%.

In general, too much amniotic fluid is not a good thing for pregnant women, but too little is not good either. It must be within a specified range to ensure the health of the fetus.

Will drinking too much water cause excess amniotic fluid?

The amount of water a pregnant woman drinks has little to do with the amount of amniotic fluid. The only relationship is that in the early stages of pregnancy, the main source of amniotic fluid is the mother's blood, so drinking more water in the early stages of pregnancy is good for the amniotic fluid. As the fetal organs slowly develop, the fetal urine, respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, umbilical cord, placental surface, etc., also become sources of amniotic fluid. At this time, the amount of water a pregnant woman drinks has nothing to do with the amount of amniotic fluid.

There may be these reasons for pregnant women to have more amniotic fluid

1. Fetal malformation: Among pregnant women with polyhydramnios, 18%-40% have fetal malformations. Neural tube defects are the most common, accounting for about 50%, of which open neural tube defects are the main ones. When there is anencephaly or overt spina bifida, the meninges are exposed, the choroid tissue proliferates, the exudation increases, and central swallowing disorders plus antidiuretic hormone deficiency, etc., cause excessive amniotic fluid formation and reduced reflux; fetal esophageal and duodenal atresia can cause fetal swallowing of amniotic fluid, causing polyhydramnios.

2. Chromosomal abnormalities: Trisomy 18, trisomy 21, and trisomy 13 fetuses may have difficulty swallowing amniotic fluid, causing polyhydramnios.

3. Twin pregnancy: About 12% of twin pregnancies are complicated by polyhydramnios, which is more than 10 times that of single pregnancy. In the case of monozygotic, monochorionic and diamniotic sacs, the two placentas have arteriovenous anastomosis, which is prone to twin-twin transfusion syndrome. The recipient fetus has increased circulating blood volume and fetal urine volume, causing polyhydramnios.

4. Pregnancy complicated by diabetes: The mother's high blood sugar level leads to increased blood sugar in the fetus, producing osmotic diuresis, and increased placental and fetal membrane exudation leading to polyhydramnios.

5. Fetal edema: Polyhydramnios is related to fetal immune edema (such as hemolysis due to maternal-fetal blood type incompatibility) and non-immune edema (mostly caused by intrauterine infection).

6. Placental and umbilical cord lesions: giant placenta and velamentous umbilical cord attachment can lead to polyhydramnios. When the diameter of placental chorioangioma is greater than 1 cm, 15%-30% may be accompanied by polyhydramnios.

7. Idiopathic polyhydramnios: accounts for about 30%, without abnormalities of the pregnant woman, fetus or placenta. The cause is unknown.

Can I have a normal birth if I have too much amniotic fluid?

If a pregnant woman has polyhydramnios, the doctor should investigate the cause of the polyhydramnios. If a systematic ultrasound examination has ruled out abnormalities in the fetal structure and placenta, and the pregnant mother with gestational diabetes can control blood sugar well, most fetuses with polyhydramnios can be considered for natural birth. It is important to remind everyone that some pregnant women cannot find a clear cause for polyhydramnios, and at this time they can only follow the professional judgment of the doctor.