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The amniotic sac, also called the bag of waters [1] [2] or the membranes, [3] is the sac in which the embryo and later fetus develops in amniotes. It is a thin but tough transparent pair of membranes that hold a developing embryo (and later fetus) until shortly before birth .
During early pregnancy, the amnionic epithelium is sparsely covered in microvilli, which increase in number throughout pregnancy. [4] The function of this microvillous surface is associated with a densely-packed glycocalix with anionic binding sites; these are thought to be involved with intra-amnionic lipid synthesis. [ 4 ]
Amniotic fluid is removed from the mother by an amniocentesis procedure, where a long needle is inserted through the abdomen into the amniotic sac, using ultrasound guidance such that the fetus is not harmed. Amniocentesis is a low risk procedure, with risk of pregnancy loss between 1 in 1,500 – 1 in 700 procedures.
If the amniotic sac has not yet broken during labour the health care provider may break it in a technique called an amniotomy. In an amniotomy a thin plastic hook is used to make a small opening in the sac, causing the water to break. [25] If the sac breaks before labour starts, it's called a prelabour rupture of membranes. Contractions will ...
The amniotic fluid increases in quantity up to the sixth or seventh month of pregnancy, after which it diminishes somewhat; at the end of pregnancy it amounts to about one liter. [ citation needed ] The amniotic fluid allows the free movements of the fetus during the later stages of pregnancy, and also protects it by diminishing the risk of ...
Illustration of fundal height at various points during pregnancy. Some degree of weight gain is expected during pregnancy. The enlarging uterus, growing fetus, placenta, amniotic fluid, normal increase in body fat, and increase in water retention all contribute weight gain during pregnancy. The amount of weight gain can vary from 5 pounds (2.3 ...
Mom Finds Out Baby She's Carrying Has Fatal Diagnosis Halfway Through Pregnancy: 'Most Beautiful, Painful Experience' (Exclusive) Virginia Chamlee October 16, 2024 at 11:40 AM
The gestational sac is spherical in shape, and is usually located in the upper part (fundus) of the uterus.By approximately nine weeks of gestational age, due to folding of the trilaminar germ disc, the amniotic sac expands and occupy the majority of the volume of the gestational sac, eventually reducing the extraembryonic coelom (the gestational sac or the chorionic cavity) to a thin layer ...