Use the information on these pages as a guideline for what to ask and what to consider when making decisions about your baby and your pregnancy.

Get the facts

• Confirm that you have ruptured. Do not rely on the “fern” test. Insist on an abdominal ultrasound (rather than trans-vaginal ultrasound, to limit exposure to infection) to confirm that you are losing or have lost fluid.
• Write down your baseline amniotic fluid index (AFI). Use this as a reference to gauge whether fluid is reaccumulating.
• Test for and treat an infection. In particular, look for:
  • Group B Streptococcus (GBS): Your health care practitioner will almost certainly treat GBS if it is present in your urine; discuss whether to treat if it is only present in your vaginal flora.
  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
  • Bacterial vaginosis/gardnerella
  • Citrobacter freundii: PROM list members report that this is treatable with gentamicin-family antibiotics.
  • Yeast infection
• Learn the signs of cord prolapse. Ask your health care team to describe the signs indicating that your baby’s umbilical cord has prolapsed. If you believe the cord has prolapsed, get in a position on your hands and knees with your hips in the air and shoulders down to help take the pressure off the cord until you can get medical attention. If you don’t have someone to take you to the hospital immediately, call an ambulance.

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This information was compiled by the members of the PROM list. Nothing on this page should be taken as medical advice. A doctor should be consulted before undertaking any of the medical treatments or methods recommended by the members of the list.