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Polyhydramnios

Too Much Amniotic Fluid

By Laurie Dove

Twenty-three-year-old Crystal Porter's first pregnancy was a memorable one. Her burgeoning belly performed weight-gain and weight-loss acrobatics, swinging first to one extreme and then another.

By her third trimester, it was not unusual for Porter to gain 10 pounds, lose 8 the next day, and then gain 5 pounds back again. But for Porter, it wasn't a battle with poor eating habits that caused the fluctuations.

Her first pregnancy was marked by polyhydramnios, a medical term meaning Porter's uterus was filled with too much amniotic fluid. Most often, physicians gauge the amount of fluid by number. For example, while most women measure at an amniotic fluid level of 11 around 7 months of pregnancy, Porter measured 38.

"Besides being miserable, I did look rather ridiculous," says Porter. "My stomach didn't even look real." The Springfield, Ill, mother-to-be had an uneventful pregnancy until she reached her seventh month, when amniotic fluid levels began to fluctuate between 25 and 38.

"My weight gains and losses were directly related to the fluid," she says. Although the problem turned out to be little more than a nuisance for Porter, there was initial concern about the baby's health.

"The first sign there was something wrong was that I did not feel my son move that much," she says. "I noticed a considerable drop in movement." A sonogram quickly eased her fears. Porter's elevated fluid levels allowed a clear picture of her developing baby.

"The sonographer warned us that as you get further along in the pregnancy, there is less fluid, making it harder to see the baby. But she put the gadget to my stomach and our son popped up on screen as clear as a bell," she says. "I saw little wrinkles on his wrists and I saw his face! He was healthy and I knew what he would look like before he even came out. That was just too cool."

Want to see more?

• Olig ohydramnios: When Amniotic Fluid is Too Low
• Gui de to Pregnancy Tests and Procedures
• Just in Case: Making a Plan for Cesarean