pregnant goldfish

Question
I have a goldfish that is so big that it cant swim upright I assume that it is pregnant but it looks like it will burst soon. Is there anything that I can do?

Answer
Typically, when a goldfish is pregnant the males in the water will be slightly aggressive with the pregnant female in order to cause her to release her eggs.  Once the eggs are released, they may be fertilized.  Some people will use their hands to squeeze the fish gently, helping to push out the eggs.  This is especially useful if there are no male carp in the pond or aquarium.

The other potentiality is that the fish is not pregnant at all, and it has a disease known as dropsy.  Look up a picture of a goldfish with dropsy so that you may rule this out.  If it is definitely pregnant, either let nature take its course of you can offer assistance, as mentioned above.