The best thing to do is to keep all your prenatal care visits. One of the things your doctor will monitor the size of your abdomen and the amniotic fluid that is inside the uterus. If you experience a problem, your doctor will take steps to avoid further complications for you and your baby.

If you have diabetes, talk with your health professional about their increased risk for polyhydramnios.

If your doctor,  suspects you have polyhydramnios, you may need additional testing and monitoring throughout their pregnancy. In half the cases, polyhydramnios goes away without treatment. In other cases, the problem can be corrected when the cause is found. For example, treat high blood sugar in women with diabetes often decreases the amount of amniotic fluid. Other treatments may include removing some amniotic fluid or use medication to reduce fluid levels.

When a woman has polyhydramnios, means that the level of amniotic fluid surrounding the baby is very high. To understand how this condition can affect your health and your baby can help you learn about the role that amniotic fluid plays in a healthy pregnancy.

What you should know about the amniotic fluid

The amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus’s body plays an important role in normal development. This translucent liquid surrounds and protects the fetus and provides fluid. During the second trimester, the fetus is able to breathe the fluid, so that it enters your lungs, and swallowing, promoting normal growth and development of the lungs and gastrointestinal system. The amniotic fluid also allows the fetus move, which helps in the normal development of muscles and bones.

The amniotic sac containing the embryo is formed around 12 days after conception. Amniotic fluid begins to fill the bag immediately. During the first weeks of pregnancy, amniotic fluid consists mainly of water supplied by the mother. After about 12 weeks, the fluid is composed mainly of fetal urine. The amount of amniotic fluid increases until about week 28 to 32 of pregnancy, when measuring a little less than a quart. After that time, the liquid level usually remains stable until the fetus reaches full development (between 37 and 40 weeks), when it starts to decrease.

About 2 of every 100 pregnant women had polyhydramnios (too much amniotic fluid). Most cases are mild and are the product of a gradual accumulation of fluid in the second half of pregnancy. Approximately half of the cases, polyhydramnios goes away by itself. But some cases begin as early as 16 weeks of pregnancy and often result in very early delivery. Polyhydramnios is diagnosed by ultrasound. Medical experts still do not know for sure the causes of this condition. The cause in 2 out of 3 cases. Known causes are:

• Birth defects in the baby that affect the ability to swallow. Normally, when a fetus swallows amniotic fluid level decreases slightly. This helps balance the increased fluid when the fetus urinates.
• Heart defects in the baby

Women with diabetes are at increased risk for polyhydramnios, but seem to have fewer complications from it than non-diabetic. Women with mild polyhydramnios have few symptoms. Women with polyhydramnios may have more serious discomfort in the stomach and breathing problems, because the increased fluid causes the uterus invades the space of the lungs and organs of the belly.
Polyhydramnios may increase the risk of complications during pregnancy, including:

* Premature rupture of membranes (tear or rupture of the sac containing the amniotic fluid)
* Prematurity
* The umbilical cord accidents
* The placental
* Little baby’s growth
* The stillbirth
* Cesarean delivery
* Severe bleeding in the mother after delivery.

Polyhydramnios is an uncommon (approximately 0.5% of pregnancies) and in most cases the cause is unknown. Amniotic fluid is constantly being updated, any change in its elimination or increased production would lead to polyhydramnios.

While there are pathologies associated with it like diabetes, blood incompatibility between maternal and fetal hypertension, syphilis, fetal malformations, abnormalities of the placenta or twin pregnancies, large numbers of cases have no apparent cause.

Treatment can be palliative, with strict control of pregnancy, rest, medication to prevent uterine contractions and the search for a cause or in cases with greater commitment is made part of the evacuation of fluids to prevent other complications such as rupture of membranes and / or preterm delivery.