
Sometimes, low amniotic fluid can be treated by replacing fluid through maternal oral or an IV hydration while, in some cases, amnioinfusion is used.

If a woman has passed her due date by two weeks or more, she may be at a high risk for this condition as the fluids can decrease by half, after she reaches 42 weeks’ gestation. However, it is most common during the last trimester. The condition of low amniotic fluid can occur at any time during pregnancy. If the AFI shows the fluid as less than 5 centimetres, the absence of the fluid pocket 2-3 cm in depth, or the fluid volume of less than 500 ml at about 32-36 weeks’ gestation, then oligohydramnios is suspected.

While you are pregnant, doctors can measure the amount of amniotic fluid present through various methods such as deep pocket measurements or the amniotic fluid index (AFI) evaluation. Oligohydramnios, commonly known as low amniotic fluid is a condition in which, a pregnant woman has too little amniotic fluid. If the measurement of the fluid is too low, it is called oligohydramnios while, if it is too high, it is called polyhydramnios. Sometimes, this fluid may measure too high or too low. As the baby grows, she or he will move in the womb with the help of this fluid, and in the second trimester, the baby will begin breathing and swallowing the amniotic fluid. It is first made up of water which is provided by the mother, and by about 20 weeks the foetal urine becomes the primary substance. This fluid is produced soon after the amniotic sac forms, i.e., about 12 days’ post-conception. The amniotic fluid is a part of a baby’s life support system that protects the baby and assists in the development of the muscles, lungs, limbs and digestive system.
