What is the significance of Meconium in the Amniotic Fluid?
Meconium is the bile-stained contents of the fetal intestine. Its appearance in the amniotic fluid is the result of fetal defecation. The obstetric literature is fraught with controversy and unanswered questions regarding the significance of meconium in the amniotic fluid and the appropriate management protocols that should be followed when it is discovered. It is believed by some medical experts that the passage of meconium is triggered by fetal stress, such as hypoxia or asphyxia, and that the presence of meconium in the fluid may be considered an indicator of fetal distress. Others point out that the presence of meconium in the amniotic fluid also may be a result of gastrointestinal maturity. Normal preterm fetuses rarely pass meconium; meconium passage in term or postterm pregnancies is observed more frequently. Thus, the presence of meconium in the amniotic fluid is only one factor to be considered along with many other variables and clinical markers that may help to explain the e
