Often women are frightened when they hear from the doctor that an echogenic suspension has been found in the amniotic fluid. The most terrible scenarios of further events immediately come to mind, but, believe me, there are not always reasons for worry.
What it is?
Suspended water is nothing more than free-floating particles, usually your baby's waste products.... The baby in the mother's womb does not get bored - he regularly swallows a certain amount of water, they pass through the digestive tract, training his work and intestinal peristalsis, enter the bladder, the baby can write. In addition, the composition of the suspension normally includes epithelial cells, which are constantly peeled off, fallen out lanugo hairs, particles of oily primordial lubricant, which, throughout almost the entire pregnancy, covers a thick layer of parchment-like skin, protecting it from constant exposure to the aquatic environment to those pores until the skin becomes firm.
Water is produced by the inner soft and elastic membrane of the fetal bladder - the amnion. And the water is renewed every 3 hours so that the general environment inside the uterus will certainly remain sterile.
The presence of particles of the baby's waste products, which we have listed, is not considered a sign of pathology, diseases are moderate physiological suspensions that do not cause concern.
However, there are other impurities that present a more alarming picture. In meconium waters, for example, there are particles of the original feces of meconium. Normally, feces accumulate in the intestines of the child and leave it only after the baby is born and begins to eat. Meconium is dark green or nearly black in color. And its appearance in the waters always indicates a state of unhappiness of the fetus, usually about hypoxia.
Impurities of blood in the amniotic fluid are also an extreme situation, in which you need to make an urgent decision to save the fetus and its mother, since it can be a sign of placental abruption.
Pathological suspensions are observed only in turbid waters, and in this case, intrauterine infection almost always occurs.
How is the state of the waters assessed?
There are several ways to detect suspended matter - Ultrasound, amnioscopy and amniocentesis.
Ultrasound examination gives a rather rough idea of the composition of the waters, transparency. Until the end of the first trimester, the waters are usually anechoic, there are no echo suspensions in them. From the second trimester, an echo-positive finely dispersed suspension can normally be detected, which is, in fact, the first particles of the baby's life.
At these times, suspensions are determined only by very sensitive scanners, their number is small, and therefore they speak of their single presence in the field of view. An echo-positive hyperechoic suspension may be present in the waters from the end of the second trimester; the longer the gestation period, the greater its amount. If too much suspension is found, then they talk about prolonged pregnancy, but this is usually already observed after the expected date of birth has long expired, and labor has not yet occurred.
If the echo suspension is coarse, flocculent, then this most often means that there are pathological impurities in the waters, for example, meconium. But this ultrasound examination does not allow to establish precisely. It only determines the fact of presence, but the details help to figure out other methods.
If you suspect fetal hypoxia, the amnioscopy method is more informative. The amnioscope device is inserted through the cervix without damaging the membranes. The camera at the distal end helps the doctor to carefully examine the amniotic fluid, examine its transparency, examine the color and nature of the coarse suspension.
In the most severe doubtful cases, an invasive diagnosis is indicated, which is amniocentesis... A puncture of the fetal bladder is carried out through the anterior abdominal wall or the posterior fornix of the vagina, a thin needle is used to draw water for their subsequent study in the laboratory. This is the most accurate, but also the most risky diagnostic method.for which a strong medical indication is needed.
If a woman feels good, the fetus also goes according to plan, the pregnancy is going well, then the state of the waters becomes obvious in childbirth, when the fetal bladder bursts and the waters come out.
What should be the treatment?
If the doctor is not alarmed, speaking about the presence of a small amount of a finely dispersed echo-positive suspension, then there is no reason for a woman to worry, just as there is no reason to start urgently treating anything. The processes inside the uterus are physiological, they do not need correction and intervention. Only at the very late stages, with obvious re-walking, a large number of such suspensions indirectly confirms overmaturity and may be a reason for making a decision to stimulate labor or conduct a caesarean section, if there are individual indications for it.
Everything changes if the suspensions are pathological. In case of confirmation of meconium waters, the woman is prescribed special treatment and constant monitoring of the condition of the fetus - ultrasound, CTG. At the slightest sign of deterioration, to save the baby, an early delivery is carried out.
If the term is already long, and the fetus is full-term, then delivery is considered preferable so as not to expose the baby even to potential risk.
For the treatment of hypoxia, it is recommended drugs that improve uteroplacental blood flow, vitamins, oxygen cocktails. If necessary, broad-spectrum antibiotics are introduced into the regimen to prevent infection.
If the treatment is effective, the child's condition improves, then the natural mechanism of water renewal will gradually lead to the purification of the aquatic environment, and after a while the waters will be almost completely free from mixtures.
Prevention
A woman cannot prevent the formation of a fine physiological echo-positive suspension. And there is no need for this, since she does not threaten anything either at 18 weeks, or at 20 weeks, or at other times.
To avoid hypoxia a woman needs to try to lead a healthy lifestyle, give up bad habits, walk more in the fresh air, eat well... It's important to try eliminate all stress, experiences, maintain calmness and peace of mind.
Early registration for pregnancy is an excellent chance to detect possible risk factors for hypoxia or problems with the placenta at the very initial stages, when medical care will come in handy more than ever.
It is important not to refuse to undergo scheduled ultrasound examinations and tests. Only all this together will help prevent oxygen starvation of the fetus, in which the consequences can be extremely dangerous and even irreversible.
