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Polyhydramnios
Too Much Amniotic Fluid
By Laurie Dove
But for some, a diagnosis of polyhydramnios can signal significant concerns over a developing fetus' health. At its most serious, polyhydramnios can be caused by anencephaly, a neural tube defect that is usually fatal. According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, anencephaly accounts for 30 to 50 percent of all polyhydramnios diagnoses. A developing fetus with anencephaly is unable to perform certain functions, like swallowing, and does not absorb and reduce amniotic fluid.
Polyhydramnios also can mean a baby has kidney, bowel or urinary tract problems, because the baby isn absorbing the amount of fluid it typically would.
An over-abundance of amniotic fluid could also be caused by the mother health, says Dr. Michael Brown, an obstetrician specializing in high-risk pregnancies at Via Christi's Regional Medical Center in Wichita, Kan.
"It could be a sign of gestational diabetes or pregnancy-induced hypertension," Brown says. For Porter, the diagnosis meant continuing a healthy diet and agreeing to close monitoring by her obstetrician.
"I went to the doctor every three days and at alternating visits I would get a non-stress test (to count the baby's movements) and then a sonogram to check the amniotic fluid levels," she says.
Like many women diagnosed with polyhydramnios during pregnancy, the amount of fluid made it difficult for Porter to feel her baby's movemnts. It wasn't often the baby came into contact with a uterine wall with enough force to be felt. There was simply too much fluid in which to float.
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