Losing Water During Pregnancy

[stevenjm]

My GF is pregnant and now in 4th month and she had some spotting in first trimester. At a recent scan and docs appt we were told her placenta is too low and close to cervix and come back for another scan in one month and hopefully it has moved up as the uterus expands, anyway - she was given uterus relaxants to take to stop the contractions and we were told no sex.

My question now is that she is losing a little water somedays ( just a little but not too frequently) maybe every couple of days a little comes out once or twice a day ( i have to be honest - we have not stuck 100 percent to the no sex advice). Is this something to be concerned about? should we get back to doctor asap or wait the month? should we really stop sex?

I cant really find the info on the net - it mostly applies to large water loss or water breaking but not small amounts so any help much appreciated.

BTW - she says its definately not urine and i trust her judgement.

Edited November 1, 2008 by stevenjm

[cathyy]

GET HER TO A HOSPITAL ASAP!!!!!!!

Leakage of amniotic fluid means the safe sterile environment for the baby is gone. In general they induce labor if it hasn't started within 24 hours of the amniotic sac rupture/leak. Not sticking to the no sex guideline was foolish, as it introduced even more contaminants into the baby's environment. Here's hoping the baby hasn't gotten any kind of infection. Here's hoping the baby survives.

Leakage of urine is common in pregnant women. They can tell with a simple litmus paper kind of test if it is urine or amniotic fluid. Don't take a chance, her her medical attention.

[bina]

i would go back to a different doc and a better explanation; placenta previa (placenta first, baby above) is what i thought of right away. its not the right trimester yet for this but i snipped a bit about it for you, better for u to read it all through on your own -do a google-- so as not to get hysterical but :

NO SEX means just that; NO SEX... because when a woman has sex, her uterus contracts a bit; this is helpful in later pregnancy but not if there are problems...and that is why he gave her muscle relaxants in the first place.

i hope they did a good internal US...

she should be using a gyn/ob that specializes in 'high risk' pregnancy i.e. s woman that is having spotting/bleeding, etc needs more frequent and specific monitoring than a 'easygoing' pregnancy...

bina

[stevenjm]

ok, thanks heaps for the info.

bina - yeh, thats what the doctor said, placenta first and next to cervix. but she seemed quietly confident it would move up as uterus expands in a month or so and said come back for another scan to check. yes, scan was external and internal. its the water that concerns me most though.

i should have guessed something like this given my whole <deleted> life has been based around chaos theory thus far. i'll get her to docs tomorrow (its sunday) and keep my fingers crossed.

btw - she had already decided on cesarian and i'm now in agreeance given the placenta situation - back to aus to work my ass off for the extra medical bills i guess.

[Sheryl]

Just saw this. Steve, Cathyy is absolutely right, if she's actually leaking amniotic fluid it is serious and need to see a doctor ASAP. So early in the pregnancy, delivery is obviously not an option, but they will need to give antibiotics to prevent infection which would be dangerous to both mother and child. On the positive side, this early in the pregnancy such a leak would be rare. Even though she feels sure it wasn't urine it could have been as during pregnancy urine sometimes "leaks"without any of the sensation of urinating. Also, amniotic fluid leaks usually aren't sporadic like this whereas urine leaks are. usually if a woman is leaking amniotic fluid she will continue to do so, it won't stop and then happen again in a few days as you describe. So hopefuilly this is just urine. But don't take chances, have a doctor see her to make sure. To help determine, she should use a pad and let the doctor see a pad that is wet with what seh thinks was amniotic fluid (since she may not be leaking at the time the doctor exams her), they can do a simple test as Cathyy described which will help determine which it was.

The condition you describe is placenta praevia. However, when it occurs this early in prgenancy it usually resolves by around 20 weeks.

A c-section will not necessarily be required if the placenta moves to normal position before she is due. But she should be followed closely, and for now, with the placenta located near the cervix, NO SEX is imperative as it may cause not only loss iof the baby but a dangerous hemorrhage for the mother.

Depending on what the doctor's exam shows they may also recommend bed rest.

good luck to you both

[cathyy]

I actually saw this happen once, in the Philippines. An American GI was married to a Filipina. She went to the hospital immediately upon detecting the leaking amniotic fluid. Because she was a Filipina, they assumed she was ignorant and never even bothered to test the fluid to see what it was. They sent her home and just told her to continue her suppositories for her candida infection. Fast forward a few days (less than a week) to her regular OB visit at 5 months along. Labor induced, baby born barely live, with immediate neonatal ICU care, but even then rapidly succumbed to the candida as well as the prematurity.

Now, this is different from the OP's situation in that this lady had a pre-existing infection. But it shows that it can indeed be amniotic fluid this early in a pregnancy, and just how serious that situation is.

I do hope to see a post from the OP soon telling us his lovely wife has been checked and that it's merely urine leaking!

[stevenjm]

OK, thanks heaps for that. Its really starting to concern me now ( so much for optimism and faith, i'm going back to pesimism and reality). we have been island hopping and no access to DR but have appointment with ob-gyn at 1pm today. The technician doing the previous scan actualluy commented that there was only 2cm of water and suggested drink more water but the doctor did not seem to concerned - I dont know why some women are scared to tell the doctor everything.

A leaking sack? jesus - i hope the doctor says something positive because common sense tells me it cant be fixed.

[Sheryl]

Steve,

Let us know the outcome after she has seen the doctor.

And from here on out, she should not be traveling any distance from good medical care. (It is possible the doctor will go a step further and put her on bedrest).

Even if the leak turns out to have been urine she is still at high risk due to the positioning of the placenta. The risk is to both the baby and to her.

Until/unless a doctor tells you that all problems have resolved, placenta has moved up to normal position etc, she should never go more than an hour away from proper medical care. Preferrably closer.

[Comehome]

Hi!

How is it going?

Are all 3 of you ok?

This is not something that should be ignored.

I had a bit low amonic fluid at the end of my pregnancy and was not allowed to leave Koh Samui, just in case I would need urgent medical help.

I was still within the range for "normal amount of fluid" but still in the lower end of the scale.

I also had to count the number of movements of the baby and if it was too low I had to go to the hospital immediately! (Doctors orders!)

The doctor even wrote a special note for the immigration and they granted me and my husband prolonged visas since we were not allowed to leave the island.

I hope you are ok, all 3 of you.

Feel sorry that you had such an ignorant doctor.

Try to stay off the sex for a while, until the fluid and placenta is more stable.

Otherwise there is a risk for bacteria to enter the uterus and that is not healthy for either the mother or child.

Take care now and tell us how things are going. Only if you feel like it ofc.

Wish you the best!

/comehome