The amniotic fluid is turbid when the due date comes. What's going on?

In the early stages of pregnancy, the amniotic fluid is colorless, but as the fetus matures, the amniotic fluid will gradually become turbid. There are generally two reasons for this. One is that the fetus is immature and relatively large, which generally does not pose a risk to the fetus. Another reason may be that meconium is mixed in the amniotic fluid, which has a relatively large impact on the health of the fetus.

Turbid amniotic fluid in late pregnancy is also due to the same two possibilities:

1. Because the vernix caseosa is mixed with the amniotic fluid, it is more common before 39 weeks of pregnancy. This is because the fetus is immature and large, so that the vernix caseosa on the body surface floats in the amniotic fluid. This situation will not bring danger to the fetus.

2. Because meconium is mixed in the amniotic fluid, this situation is worrying, because when the amniotic fluid is contaminated to the 3rd degree, it indicates that the fetus is in distress and hypoxia, and there is a risk of intrauterine fetal death at any time. Moreover, the degree of fetal hypoxia in the uterus is often proportional to the degree of amniotic fluid contamination.

Whether the turbidity of amniotic fluid is caused by vernix caseosa or meconium, it cannot be seen during B-ultrasound examination of pregnant women. It is difficult to distinguish without instruments. You can do a fetal heart rate monitoring. Therefore, during pregnancy, pregnant women should have regular delivery times.

What to do if the amniotic fluid is turbid near the due date

Amniotic fluid is generally caused by vernix caseosa or meconium mixed in the amniotic fluid, and there are also other cases of cholestasis. If it is just mild turbidity caused by vernix caseosa, it is not a big problem and is normal, which generally will not cause harm to the fetus. If the turbidity of the amniotic fluid is caused by meconium, this indicates that the fetus may be suffering from intrauterine hypoxia and needs to rely on oxygen inhalation to supplement oxygen. In the latter case of hypoxia, pregnant women should seek immediate treatment and follow the advice of professional doctors to undergo examinations or oxygen inhalation. If necessary, the pregnancy may have to be terminated early and the delivery may have to be completed by caesarean section.

During pregnancy, if intra-amniotic infection, excessive vernix caseosa, maternal cholestasis syndrome, fetal intrauterine hypoxia, etc. occur, then obvious amniotic fluid turbidity will appear in the middle of pregnancy. Experts recommend that pregnant women go to the hospital for an amniotic fluid puncture sampling test, which can see the turbidity of the amniotic fluid. If the sampling examination shows that the amniotic fluid is indeed turbid, it is because the fetus has excreted meconium, which has contaminated the amniotic fluid. This situation is likely to cause the fetus to suffer from lack of oxygen and suffocation in the uterus.

The consequences of turbid amniotic fluid in the second trimester can be serious or minor. Mothers should pay enough attention to it, actively look for the cause, and treat it symptomatically. Under the doctor's advice, you can have a fetal heart rate monitoring to see if the fetal heart rate is normal in order to estimate the fetal hypoxia in the abdomen. At the same time, you should take the left side lying position to breathe oxygen. The benefit of this is that it can increase the blood supply to the placenta and alleviate the oxygen supply problem of the fetus. Finally, I would like to remind you that mothers should go for regular prenatal checkups.