Amniocentesis is a very terrible and unpleasant procedure. Not every woman with willingness and unshakable heart will go to her. However, if it is necessary and the doctor insists on carrying it out, it is better to listen and decide.
In general, an analysis called amniocentesis is a fetal amniotic fluid by puncturing the amniotic fluid and the abdomen of the mother. The procedure is carried out under the strict supervision of ultrasound sensors and is practically a jewelry job of a doctor. After all, you need to take the necessary amount of fluid and do not harm a child in centimeters or even in millimeters. And sometimes, albeit very rarely, there are situations when the needle still touches the vital areas of the fetus, causing irreversible damage.
The received amniotic fluid, or rather its cells, is cultivated for 2-3 weeks and only then is the information obtained from it evaluated. And the information is just colossal. In the liquid are fetal cells, microorganisms, chemical compounds surrounding the baby. And all this will tell you about the state of the child's health, about its genetic structure, the degree of development and much more.
Is amniocentesis dangerous?
And yet, the moms who are assigned this analysis are in doubt about what the effects of amniocentesis are, and how often one can hear the question - at what time the analysis is done. By the way, the timing of the amniocentesis really exists: the analysis is done at 16-24 weeks of pregnancy.
And that before the consequences of amniocentesis, the risk of a negative reaction of the organism and the child exists. The danger consists in a possible miscarriage after the analysis (approximately 1 for 200 or 500 cases). In addition, the procedure can cause infection and infection of the uterus (1: 1000) and further onset of labor for several days after the puncture.
Bleeding at the fetus and mother, leakage of amniotic fluid, fever, febrile condition - all this is an occasion for urgent treatment for medical help.
Indications for amniocentesis
What are the main indications for conducting such a complex and unsafe analysis? It would seem that they should be very, very significant. And in fact, these indications are important. For example, the analysis is shown to women who first become pregnant after the age of 35 years. The puncture of the amniotic fluid in this case is intended to determine the presence or absence of Down syndrome.
Also, if the family already has a Down child or a child with Hunter syndrome, then the amniopuncture makes sense. And even if the family has another close relative with the above syndromes.
If the mother - a carrier of hemophilia, with the help of amniocentesis can determine the sex of the child. As is known, hemophilia can be transmitted from the mother only to the sons. However, the very fact of transfer or inheritance analysis in this case will not reveal.
The analysis is also carried out if both parents suffer from Tay-Sachs disease, sickle-cell anemia, or one of
Reliability of amniocentesis
If the result of the analysis is disappointing, that is, "bad", then it is true almost 100%. And in this case, parents have to make a difficult choice - to reconcile with the care of a seriously ill child or to terminate a pregnancy. Of course, it is very difficult to make a decision in this case, both morally and emotionally, but this is necessary.