Amniocentesis Tests during Pregnancy

The amniocentesis test is a test that is done by inserting a thin and hollow needle in the amniotic liquid to obtain some of the liquid with the needle into a syringe. Then a series of tests is done with the amniotic liquid. If the doctor does a genetic amniocentesis, a check up of the fetus’s chromosomes, this generally happens at fifteen or twenty weeks. It is possible that the doctor might do another amniocente sis test later on to evaluate the maturity of the lungs of the baby for example.

During this test you will be lying on your back over gurney. A nurse will clean your abdomen with an iodine solution. When the image of the ultrasound of the fetus inside the amniotic sack is seen on the screen, the doctor inserts a thin needle in your abdomen, to the uterus and the amniotic sack. After enough amniotic liquid has been removed, the doctor will take the needle out.

Some people are under the wrong impression that this is done through the bellybutton, but the truth is that the exact point of insertion depends on the location of the fetus inside the uterus, the placenta, and the amniotic sack. You may have heard that the needle is extremely long and perhaps you are frightened of needles. The needle needs to reach the amniotic sack and this is why it is long, but it is not more of a painful process because of this. The thickness of the needle determines the level of discomfort or pain in the pinch, and the needles of this test are very thin.

Normally this procedure only lasts two or three minutes, but it might seem like an eternity to a nervous woman. A lot of women feel slight cramping when the needle is inserted in to the uterus and then a strange pulling sensation when the fluid is extracted with the needle. The procedure is not very painful and most women say that it was not as bad as they had thought. After an amniocentesis test your doctor will tell you to rest, avoid physical activity and abstain from having sexual relations for one or two days.

This genetic test basically looks to prove the presence and normality of the 23 pair chromosomes. It is not done routinely to look for all the possible genetic diseases and birth defects. The cells of the amniotic liquid should be incubated before the doctor can read the results of the genetic amniocentesis, which will generally be ready in one or two weeks.

If the prenatal blood tests exams show you are Rh negative, the doctor will give you a Rhogam injection to prevent sensibility to the Rh.