Amniotic fluid level at "high end of normal"

I have been measuring big for the past two appointments, so my doctor had me scheduled for an ultrasound to see how much he weighed and check my fluid levels.
Baby is weighing in at just under 5 pounds. He is in the 60th percentile, so he's just a little big. She did tell me, though, that my amniotic fluid was measuring at the high end of normal. Yes, it's still normal, but it's at the high end. Of course reading about this has brought my attention to a condition called Polyhydramnios. That scares me!

I'm wondering if any other ladies had high levels of amniotic fluid. Did you have problems? Did your pregnancy progress normally?

My doctor is going to do another ultrasound at my next appointment (in two weeks) to check the levels again. I shouldn't have researched this, because now I'm scared. I'll be freaking out for the next two weeks.

Apparently this is rare. lol

I had Polyhydraminos. 2 out of 100 women get it. Medical experts still don't know a lot about it and 2 out of 3 cases the cause is unknown. It is usually a side effect of Gestational Diabetes...I didn't have gestational diabetes but I was borderline. My doc started doing weekly fluid level checks at 28-30 weeks and they contined until I delivered. It can cause certain problems....the main one being pre-term labor and risk of c-section. Due to the high amount of fluid the baby may turn after being ead down resulting in the baby being breech.(In my case she was 7.2lbs and breech when she came at 37 weeks.)

Here is a good site aboutit:

http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/188_1044.asp

Quoting sunnyloomis:“ I had Polyhydraminos. 2 out of 100 women get it. Medical experts still don't know a lot about it and ... [snip!] ... problems....the main one being pre-term labor. Here is a good site aboutit: http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/188_1044.asp”

Thanks   I don't have Gestational Diabetes, according to my one hour glucose screening. My doctor never mentioned me being "borderline" either.
I'll check out the site. Did you have your baby early or any other problems? Thanks again!

Sorry I added more to my first post....

Quoting sunnyloomis:“ Sorry I added more to my first post....”

Oh ok...
Yeah he has been head down for a couple of weeks now... and he still was today. I hope that he doesn't decide to go breech.
My levels are still normal... but here I am, freaking out. Typical me.

Hey Stephanie, I have the same due date as you, and had the exact same diagnosis at my 30 week ultrasound, requested b/c I was measuring big. (People already assume I am carrying twins at this point.) They also told me my baby was 60% percentile and I was high end of normal on fluid levels (23 to be exact, but apparently the baby had a full bladder at the time, too, she a few minutes later and I could have been at 24 or 25, which would technically make for a polyhydromnios diagnosis.) So I'm now schedule for a check this week (at 34 weeks). I'm trying not to be too worried. Both my other 2 kids also measured big, as did lots of females in my family, and I'm now wondering if it's just a genetic thing to have borderline high fluid, which makes us look so big...?? (My other kids were totally healthy.)

Quoting SallyP:“ Hey Stephanie, I have the same due date as you, and had the exact same diagnosis at my 30 week ultrasound, ... [snip!] ... it's just a genetic thing to have borderline high fluid, which makes us look so big...?? (My other kids were totally healthy.)”

Wow! How crazy that we have so much in common. I hope that all goes well for you. I am so nervous to have my levels checked again. I hope that they are not high enough to by polyhydromnios. My doctor didn't give me the exact measurement in terms of centimeters, but just said that it was at the "high end of normal". She didn't act concerned at all. My mom said that she measured big and had excess fluid with one of us, but she can't remember which one (i have 4 siblings).

Once again, I hope things go good for you... and myself as well. Let me know what happens at your next check up.

Okay, just had another amniotic fluid check. Last time I was 23.6 and at 30 weeks, was supposed to be under 23.3 or something. But this time at 34 weeks, I was 22.6 or so, and just needed to be under 24+. Apparently you peak at 34 weeks, so the fact that my levels went down slightly was good. Although the dr. said your levels vary a little depending on time of day.
...Bottom line, neither the tech nor the dr. who looked at the ultrasound were concerned at all. The dr. said even if I had been 24, 25, 26 he wouldn't have really been concerned. FYI, the 50 percentile averageat 34 weeks is 14 cm and the tech told me she usually sees people at 12-14. So of course I wish I was closer to normal, but people keep reassuring me.... so you're probably fine, too, Stephanie!

Quoting SallyP:“ Okay, just had another amniotic fluid check. Last time I was 23.6 and at 30 weeks, was supposed to be ... [snip!] ... 12-14. So of course I wish I was closer to normal, but people keep reassuring me.... so you're probably fine, too, Stephanie!”

Good for you! I have my next ultrasound to check the fluid level on Monday the 21st. I hope I went down a little... or that I am at least still in the normal range.

Well shit. At this point I'm starting to wonder why I can't just be normal in life. I can't even have a normal pregnancy.

I had a second ultrasound today to check my levels again. Apparently last time I was at 21 cm... when they said I was at the high end of normal. Now I'm at freakin' 24.6 cm. The sonographer that I had this time was a different one, and she said that she honestly considers 21 to be abnormal, and not "at the high end of normal." She said that now I am definitely out of the normal range... but from what I've been reading, over 25 is usually considered abnormal, so I am 100% confused and pissed off right now.

On top of my fluid level going up instead of down, Demitri is now BREECH. He has been head down since I was 30 weeks. BLAH!!!
BAD DAY!

I just can't wait to hear what my doctor has to say about this on Wednesday. I usually see her right after my ultrasound, but there won't be a sonographer there this Wednesday (for some reason) so I have to go twice this week and wait a day before I get to see her.

From what I remember when I was looking at the chart, around 24 or 24.5 was just at the 95 percentile and just on the borderline of being too high. But like the OB doctor, who saw me after the tech, said, he even thought 25, 26, 27 wasn't too bad and he wouldn't be worried even at those levels. Your levels peak at 34 weeks, so from what I gather, your level of 24.6 sounds okay. The tech I had said she only starts really worrying around 30 cm...

Quoting SallyP:“ From what I remember when I was looking at the chart, around 24 or 24.5 was just at the 95 percentile ... [snip!] ... so from what I gather, your level of 24.6 sounds okay. The tech I had said she only starts really worrying around 30 cm...”

I don't know if the sonographer was just talking out of her ass, or what. She said that my doctor might want to do another Gestational Diabetes screening on me because GD and Polyhyromnios usually go hand in hand. I have read about so many complications caused by Polyhydromnios... I just don't want to have it! I am 34 weeks, so if my levels are peaking now, I hope that they go down soon. I just have so many questions for my doctor... I wonder if she will be worried or what.

I bet your doctor will be like mine and say your fine. (That is, both the doctor at the fetal ultrasound place AND my OB said I was fine.) And I was even higher than you when my doctor said I was fine... at 30 weeks I was 23.6 (which was technically over the 95th percentile for that week) and you were only 21... you are now peaking at the right time. I bet if they check you again in a couple weeks, you will have gone down. And as for GD, all my levels were no where NEAR being close to having GD on all 3 kids, and all were huge, and I was huge and I think I had borderline high levels offluidfor all of them. I've read it can be genetic that you just have higher levels. On the flip side,a friend of mine has almost abnormally low levels and has had 3 healthy kids. ...I'm not sure if you mentioned it, what # child is this for you?

Hey, we all have the same due date!  

It would seem that having a little extra amniotic fluid would be better than not having enough.