Polyhydramnios

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 7th month, when amniotic fluid levels began to fluctuate between 25 and 38.

Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of other users. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy, efficacy, or veracity of any content generated by our users.