Q: I've had trouble getting pregnant and finally succeeded at the age of 37. Everyone says I should get an amniocentesis, but I'm afraid it will cause a miscarriage. What should I do? A: First, let me ...

Amniocentesis is a medical procedure used to diagnose certain genetic and chromosomal abnormalities in a developing fetus and it involves the extraction of a small amount of amniotic fluid from the ...

Amniocentesis performed during the fourth through sixth month of pregnancy, known as the "midtrimester," does not increase the rate of miscarriage, according to a report in the journal Obstetrics & ...

During pregnancy, the fetus is surrounded by amniotic fluid, a substance much like water. Amniotic fluid has live fetal cells and other things, such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). They provide important ...

Amniocentesis may be even safer than doctors previously thought. That news comes from a study of about 35,000 U.S. women who were 10 to nearly 14 weeks pregnant. The study appears in Obstetrics & ...

I remember 15 years ago, my colleagues and I in high risk obstetrics were discussing the future possibility of analyzing fetal cells in maternal blood. Back then, the task seemed daunting since there ...

Amniocentesis describes the extraction of amniotic fluid through the abdominal wall (i.e., through a transabdominal approach with ultrasound guidance). This procedure is performed by a trained ...

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 dramatically ...

Imagine a window into the womb, a portal that allows us to peek into the intricate world of foetal development. Amidst the joy and anticipation, concerns about the health and well-being of their ...

Amniocentesis (sometimes called "amnio") is a test in which your doctor takes a small sample of amniotic fluid from around your baby. This fluid contains some of your baby’s cells which hold essential ...

Amniocentesis is a diagnostic procedure in which a small amount of amniotic fluid is removed from the sac of amniotic fluid around the baby inside the uterus, to test for certain chromosomal anomalies ...