Low Amniotic Fluid: Oligohydramnios

Amniotic fluid fills the sac surrounding your baby and helps keep your baby cushioned and safe. Amniotic fluid also provides your baby with enough room inside the womb to move freely and develop his or her muscles, bones, and other essential organs. If your level of amniotic fluid is low, your baby's growth will be handicapped.

Risks to Your Baby

Oligohydramnios is the condition of having too little amniotic fluid which restricts the movement and growth of your baby. The risks associated with oligohydramnios depend on when it occurs during pregnancy. If it occurs during the first half of your pregnancy, the complications can be more serious and include: preterm birth and stillbirth, increased chances of miscarriage, and poor fetal growth (especially fetal organs).

Your baby depends on amniotic fluid to facilitate the development of its lungs and gastrointestinal tract. Oligohydramnios that occurs during the third trimester might cause your baby to breathe in meconium (his or her first bowel movement) or compress the umbilical cord which would cut off the baby's oxygen supply. Inhaling meconium instead of amniotic fluid can fully or partially block your baby's airways, making it difficult for your baby to breathe.

Causes of Low Amniotic Fluid

Women who develop this condition have no identifiable risk factors; however, some of the most common causes of oligohydramnios include:

• Placenta problems: problems associated with the placenta, such as partial abruption, may prevent it from supplying enough blood and nutrients to your baby and the baby may stop recycling amniotic fluid.
• Leaking or ruptured membranes: a small tear in your amniotic membrane will cause fluid to leak out. Occasionally, a tear will heal on its own, the leaking will stop, and your fluid will return to normal levels. Your doctor may discover your fluid is leaking during an exam.
• Certain medical conditions: high blood pressure, preeclampsia, diabetes, and lupus can also cause low amniotic fluid levels.
• Carrying twins or multiples: oligohydromnios is likely to occur when twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome takes place. In this case, one twin suffers from too little amniotic fluid while the other produces too much.
• Fetal abnormalities: a fetal abnormality might account for low amniotic fluid levels in your first or second trimester. If your baby's kidneys are not developing properly (or at all), or if your baby's urinary tract is blocked, he or she cannot produce enough urine to maintain a healthy level of amniotic fluid.

Possible Treatments for Low Amniotic Fluid

Your stage of pregnancy will determine your doctor's recommendations for you, and if you're near term, labor may be induced. If you are not close to your due date, your doctor might inject fluid into the amniotic sac which will help assess the anatomy and development of your baby. Sometimes staying hydrated with oral fluids or IV fluids will also help increase amniotic fluid levels.