Assessment
Assessment of a rupture of membranes involves taking a proper medical history, a gynecological exam using a speculum, nitrazine, cytologic (ferning) tests, and ultrasound. Amniotic fluid, when dried for 10 minutes on a slide and then viewed under a microscope, shows a characteristic fernlike pattern. Cervical mucus can also show ferning, but the fern-like shapes are usually smaller. Assessment for rupture of membranes can also involve dipstick tests on fluid or discharge, such as Actim Prom or Amnisure.
Read more about this topic: Premature Rupture Of Membranes
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“The first year was critical to my assessment of myself as a person. It forced me to realize that, like being married, having children is not an end in itself. You dont at last arrive at being a parent and suddenly feel satisfied and joyful. It is a constantly reopening adventure.”
—Anonymous Mother. From the Boston Womens Health Book Collection. Quoted in The Joys of Having a Child, by Bill and Gloria Adler (1993)