Patient's question:
Expert, hello.I am 24 weeks pregnant and have just undergone a prenatal ultrasound screening. The doctor said everything is generally normal, except that the amniotic fluid is slightly low. The measured range of my amniotic fluid is: 327090 MM. Could low amniotic fluid affect the normal development of the fetus?
Additionally, the results suggest the baby might be a girl. Is an ultrasound 100% accurate?
Thank you for answering the above two questions.
Xiao Chen, first follow-up question: The amniotic fluid range on the report is measured in MM. If the amniotic fluid is too low, could it affect the baby's health development?
Doctor's answer:
1. Oligohydramnios can significantly increase the perinatal mortality rate.When oligohydramnios is mild, the perinatal mortality rate increases 13-fold; when it is severe, the rate increases 47-fold, with the main causes of death being fetal hypoxia and fetal malformations.
2. Oligohydramnios can lead to fetal developmental malformations.
If oligohydramnios occurs in the early stages, the adhesion of the fetal membrane to the fetal body can cause malformations, even limb deficiencies; if it occurs in the mid-to-late stages of pregnancy, the fetal skin becomes dry, resembling parchment; direct external pressure on the fetus from the uterus can cause musculoskeletal malformations, such as (torticollis), (kyphosis), and (limb deformities). Oligohydramnios caused by congenital renal agenesis can lead to Potter syndrome (pulmonary hypoplasia, flat nose, low-set ears, spade-shaped hands, and bow legs), with a very poor prognosis. Most affected infants die shortly after birth.
3. Poor fetal lung development.
Possible causes include: pulmonary developmental defects that prevent the excretion of fluids necessary to maintain amniotic fluid levels; uterine compression of the fetal chest due to insufficient amniotic fluid, affecting chest wall expansion and lung inflation; and the lack of fluid for inhalation into the alveoli, which hinders lung development. During normal pregnancy, the inhalation of an appropriate amount of amniotic fluid is crucial for fetal lung expansion and development.