Amniocentesis Risks: How to Decide if the Amnio Test Is Worth It

There are newer, lower-cost alternatives to the amniocentesis test that are lower risk as well. And yet amniocentesis remains the most comprehensive way to reassure moms and dads that their baby is healthy. So, this test understandably raises a number of difficult questions.

 What Does Amniocentesis Feel Like? 10 Moms Explain

When I found out I was pregnant I had a slew of questions, like what does labor and delivery feel like? What does a fetus kicking feel like? I never thought to wonder what an amniocentesis feels like, though. For so many of us, we don't consider what these prenatal procedures might be like... until we have to.

When An Amniocentesis Becomes Your Saving Grace

When comparing the blood test and amnio, we decided if there was even the slightest marker of Down syndrome we would opt for the amnio to be done after the ultrasound.

Alternatives to Amnio

Only a few years ago, amniocentesis -- a 30- to 50-minute procedure in which a three-inch-long needle is inserted into the uterus to take a sample of the fluid surrounding the fetus -- was virtually mandatory for women over 35. But today, some women are doing anything to avoid it -- and the medical community is working furiously to help them. In the past few years, alternatives have emerged, with the first-trimester screen at the head of the class. Scientists also are refining ultrasound techniques, looking for telltale anatomical differences -- such as a smallish nose -- that can help single out abnormal pregnancies.

Amniocentesis Definition and Risks Of An Amino

Who Is Offered One? Women of 37 years and over at the projected time of birth Women who have already had a child with a problem such as Down’s Syndrome or Spina Bifida Occasionally amniocentesis is done for other reasons. These include parents who are known to have a chromosomal abnormality or who are known to be at risk of having a baby with one of a number of rare abnormalities of their metabolism.

Amniocentesis, or Why I Sometimes Hate Medical Doctors

I have passed the mystical age of 35 (by 2 years) which puts me into a “higher risk” group for just about everything pregnancy related. Particularly, doctors are concerned about increased risk of genetic abnormalities. Apparently, at 35 years old, you cross a threshold in which the risk of having a baby with a genetic abnormality is greater than the risk of miscarriage from amniocentesis.

Amniocentesis: Could I have forgiven myself for terminating a pregnancy?

Erin Baker recalls the pain and agonising wait she endured to find out if her unborn child had Down's syndrome. But a quick blood test could soon put women out of their misery earlier.

Early Pregnancy Blood Test Reducing Need For Amniocentesis

A simple blood test is transforming the world of prenatal screening, offering women a risk-free way to learn about fetal abnormalities early in pregnancy. Already, the new test has drastically reduced the demand for amniocentesis, an invasive procedure that diagnoses chromosomal disorders in mid-pregnancy and occasionally causes miscarriage.

Genetic Testing: Don't Be Bullied into an Amnio

Women over 35 and those with a high chance of having children with Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, or other genetic disorders are often faced with the decision to have an amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS), and both require inserting either a really long needle or tube into the fetus through the mother. Ouch! But more disturbing than that painful visual is the idea that the very tests that are supposed to tell you if you will have any genetic complications with your pregnancy can actually cause major complications—by way of infections or even miscarriage.

Rate of Miscarriage With Amniocentesis

As with any invasive medical procedure, undergoing this procedure is not without risk.