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THE EFFECT OF MATERNAL WATER DEPRIVATION ON OVINE FETAL BLOOD VOLUME
Author(s) -
Bell R. J.,
Wintour E. M.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
quarterly journal of experimental physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1469-445X
pISSN - 0144-8757
DOI - 10.1113/expphysiol.1985.sp002899
Subject(s) - fetus , blood volume , gestation , dehydration , medicine , pregnancy , physiology , endocrinology , obstetrics , biology , biochemistry , genetics
Fetal blood volume was measured in pregnant ewes bearing chronically cannulated fetuses in the last third of gestation. The increase in fetal blood volume secondary to growth was established from serial measurements in four control animals. The effect of maternal dehydration was assessed by measuring the change in fetal blood volume during twelve episodes of maternal water deprivation in another six ewes. Fetal blood volume increased during each episode of maternal dehydration. In five experiments the rate of increase was greater than controls and in seven experiments the rate of increase was less than controls. Thus, fetal hypovolaemia does not occur during maternal dehydration in the ovine fetus in the last third of gestation.