QuestionDear doc,
I am 29 weeks pregnent though through sonograhy i have 28 week gestation.My AFI was 15.7 which according to the radioligist was marginally more and according to the gynic was marginally less.My gynic gave me steroids for fetal lung maturation.She also asked me to start takeing amini acid tabs. Is ther any possibility for me to go for premature labor .My BP is normal at 120/80.Fetal Wt is 1.3kg
AnswerDear Swati,
The amount of amniotic fluid has a certain range of normal values, the numbered score derived by adding up the centimeters of depth of four pockets of fluid seen on ultrasound. Some researchers feel one good pocket of 3 centimeters depth is enough to assume that there is adequate amniotic fluid around the rest of the baby. But the Amniotic Fluid Index (AFI) is traditionally the addition of the four pockets, with the normal range from 8 to about 18. There are fuzzy limits beyond these two extremes, but generally...
AFI < 5-6 = oligohydramnios (too little fluid)
AFI > 18-22 = hydramnios or polyhydramnios (too much fluid)
Your score of 15.7 is slightly higher than the median score for 28 weeks, which is 14.6. But your score is still well within the normal 8-18 range. The AFI can be used to determine fetal well-being. It is part of the more complete "Biophysical Profile" to assess whether a baby's in danger or not (See below). If there's ample amount of fluid, then we can only assume the baby's kidneys are functioning normally, and then indirectly assume the kidneys are being perfused normally, driven by a normal fetal blood pressure, and normal heart activity - in other words, everything's working fine right down the line.
A full Biophysical Profile is determined by:
-AFI, as described above.
-Fetal Movement
-Fetal Tone
-Fetal Breathing Movements, another sensitive indicator of fetal well-being. The fetus doesn't really "breathe," in the sense that he/she exchanges air, but the chest walls move, going through the motions.
-Fetal Activity Determination (FAD), also referred to as a non-stress test (NST), in which accelerations of fetal heart rate are compared in real-time to fetal movement.
The AFI score in and of itself would not necessarily have prompted your doctor to suspect that a pre-term delivery may occur or be necessary. I would suspect that there is other information that has prompted this.
There is very little data available on the effects of taking amino acid supplements in pregnancy. Pantothenic acid is thought to be safe to take while pregnant, but data on others such as Gaba, L-Glutamine, and Biotin is insufficient to confirm their safety.
Proteins and amino acids play an important role in normal brain function, particularly before birth when the concentrations in the blood of the developing fetus can be three times greater than in the mother. So it is essential to ensure that the developing fetus, newborn infants, and young children have an adequate supply of amino acids, which are derived from proteins.
Therefore, when pregnant or breastfeeding, you need to eat protein foods with a high biological value, i.e. those proteins that contain all the so-called "essential" amino acids. Protein foods that meet these requirements are: meat, fish, eggs, milk and dairy products. But these products need to be cooked well to avoid bacterial infections while pregnant - do not eat them raw or undercooked. If you are a vegan or a strict vegetarian, you may have no choice but to take an amino acid supplement to ensure that your baby obtains sufficient amino acids to develop a normal brain and central nervous system.
I hope this information has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.
Brenda
