women s health issues
Intraamniotic Infection
Diagnosis of Intraamniotic Infection
A doctor's evaluation A complete blood count Sometimes amniocentesis Doctors do a physical examination and a complete blood count (which includes a white blood cell count). An intraamniotic infection is suspected when women have a fever and at least one other typical symptom, such as a fast heart rate in the fetus or a foul-smelling discharge or an abnormally high white blood cell count in the woman. If the diagnosis is still unclear, doctors can remove a sample of the amniotic fluid and analyze it ( Amniocentesis ). If preterm labor or prelabor rupture of membranes occurs, doctors consider the possibility of infection even if women do not have typical symptoms. 