Lung water during the puerperium.

An alteration in pulmonary water balance might be expected during pregnancy and the puerperium, as a result of the physiological adaptations to pregnancy. A preliminary investigation of this hypothesis was conducted using a radiological method of lung water measurement in 20 normal primigravidae during the early puerperium. Evidence of interstitial lung water was found in seven of the 20 mothers. There was a significant correlation with plasma volume (p less than 0.05) and fluid turnover (p less than 0.05) in the group with excess lung water. The implications of increased interstitial lung water and its possible causes during pregnancy are discussed.