It has become common practice to induce labor using Cervadil, Pitocin, and usually a pain-relieving epidural if a woman is diagnosed with low uterine fluid through an ultrasound in late pregnancy.
However, induction increases the risks to both the mother and the baby's life, and it increases the chance of cesarean as well.
So it is important to understand how low uterine fluid is diagnosed and the flaws in the process so that parents can make a truly informed decision before they agree to an induction.
Gloria LeMay has written an excellent explanation. Read here: http://www.glorialemay.com/blog/?p=60.
But just because low uterine fluid is difficult to assess doesn't mean it never happens. An AFI (amniotic fluid index) of less than 5 cm is considered low; 8-10 cm at term is considered normal. Staying well-hydrated is essential, especially in the hot summer months, and drinking fluids 4-6 hours before an assessment can raise the amniotic fluid levels.
That's because amniotic fluid is constantly being replenished in the womb. Even after a woman's water breaks, more is still being made! So keep on drinking water! : D
P.S. Williams' Obstetrics, the major textbook of OB/Gyns, has this to say about amniotic fluid volume: "not all investigators agree with the concept that an [amniotic fluid] index of 5 cm or less portends adverse outcomes. Magann and colleagues (1999, 2004) concluded that the index was a poor diagnostic test and better predicted normal than abnormal volumes. Driggers and coworkers (2004) and Zhang and collaborators (2004) did not find a correlation with bad outcomes in pregnancies in which the index was below 5 cm. In the only randomized trial reported to date, Conway and colleagues (2000) concluded that non-intervention to permit spontaneous onset of labor was as effective as induction in term pregnancies with amniotic fluid index volumes of 5 cm or less" (Williams, 22nd ed., 382).
However, induction increases the risks to both the mother and the baby's life, and it increases the chance of cesarean as well.
So it is important to understand how low uterine fluid is diagnosed and the flaws in the process so that parents can make a truly informed decision before they agree to an induction.
Gloria LeMay has written an excellent explanation. Read here: http://www.glorialemay.com/blog/?p=60.
But just because low uterine fluid is difficult to assess doesn't mean it never happens. An AFI (amniotic fluid index) of less than 5 cm is considered low; 8-10 cm at term is considered normal. Staying well-hydrated is essential, especially in the hot summer months, and drinking fluids 4-6 hours before an assessment can raise the amniotic fluid levels.
That's because amniotic fluid is constantly being replenished in the womb. Even after a woman's water breaks, more is still being made! So keep on drinking water! : D
P.S. Williams' Obstetrics, the major textbook of OB/Gyns, has this to say about amniotic fluid volume: "not all investigators agree with the concept that an [amniotic fluid] index of 5 cm or less portends adverse outcomes. Magann and colleagues (1999, 2004) concluded that the index was a poor diagnostic test and better predicted normal than abnormal volumes. Driggers and coworkers (2004) and Zhang and collaborators (2004) did not find a correlation with bad outcomes in pregnancies in which the index was below 5 cm. In the only randomized trial reported to date, Conway and colleagues (2000) concluded that non-intervention to permit spontaneous onset of labor was as effective as induction in term pregnancies with amniotic fluid index volumes of 5 cm or less" (Williams, 22nd ed., 382).
