Amniotic fluid: its role in fetal development and beyond.

Amniotic fluid is a complex biological medium that surrounds the fetus and offers not only mechanical protection but also provides nutrition and plays a critical role in normal fetal growth, organogenesis, and potentially fetal programming. Despite its importance, the biology of amniotic fluid has been understudied because of ethical and technical challenges in obtaining amniotic fluid samples from healthy human pregnancies, translational limitations of animal models to humans due to species-specific differences. Recent progress in understanding its dynamic physiology, composition, and clinical applications has advanced prenatal care and facilitated improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. As research continues to elucidate the complexities and evolutionary function of amniotic fluid, its increasingly recognized role in maternal-fetal medicine and its potential to transform clinical practice will only become more evident. The purpose of this review is to underscore the key roles of amniotic fluid in shaping fetal development and therapeutic potential.