Amniotic fluid, Polyhydramnios

Ensure normal development of the fetus, protecting it from compression and external shocks; protect the umbilical cord from compression, preventing pressure on the blood vessels passing through it, which ensures uninterrupted delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus, and also allows the fetus to move freely. During childbirth O. v. promote gradual physiol. dilatation of the cervix. The effusion of O. before the onset of labor can cause dangerous complications (for example, compression of the umbilical cord), threatening the death of the fetus, and contribute to the penetration of infectious agents into the uterine cavity. Therefore, pregnant women who discover O. leakage should immediately go to the maternity hospital. O. contain products secreted by the fetus during the metabolic process.

Therefore, studying the composition of O. in pregnant women allows obstetricians to form a fairly accurate idea of ​​the state of the fetus’s body and, if necessary, provide it with appropriate assistance in a timely manner and thereby contribute to its normal development. The amount of O. by the end of pregnancy reaches 0.5-11/2 l; an insufficient amount of O. can cause minor congenital deformities of the fetus, and polyhydramnios can lead to the development of complications during pregnancy and during childbirth (for example, weakness of labor, bleeding, etc.). Therefore, pregnant women with polyhydramnios are hospitalized in the maternity hospital in the pregnancy pathology department for examination and treatment. In some cases, polyhydramnios is an indication for termination of pregnancy.