What the Amniocentesis Test Can Tell You About Your Unborn Child

When my friend's daughter underwent the amniocentesis test, the results turned out normal. While her unborn child's (a girl) chromosomal make-up does appear normal, amniocentesis does not necessarily rule out all possible birth defects as many people are wont to believe. The amniocentesis test is regarded as being ninety-nine percent accurate. It isn't routine; however, it is recommended for all women over the age of thirty-six to ensure that the chromosomal composition of the fetus does not show any irregularity.

The amniocentesis test, which is usually done between the fourteenth and eighteenth week of pregnancy, is performed under a local anesthetic, with the use of an ultrasound scanner, to determine the site of a safe pocket of fluid. In this test, which takes about fifteen minutes to carry out, a long, ultrathin needle is inserted into the mother's abdomen, through the wall of the uterus, and on into the amniotic sac - the purpose of which is to take out a specimen of amniotic fluid. Because it is in the amniotic fluid where the cells and secretions of an unborn child are found, the fluid can therefore provide sufficient information about the baby.

The amniocentesis test, which, again, is almost a hundred percent accurate, allows a physician to determine the presence or existence of chromosomal irregularities, certain congenital metabolic abnormalities, and spinal cord disorders. And, yes, the test can likewise detect the unborn child's sex (as in the case of my friend's daughter, who's very happy with the baby-girl revelation). Down's syndrome - a disease known to cause mental retardation - for example, can be detected by amniocentesis. Other conditions which the test can detect include certain genetic abnormalities in the fetus that can interfere with the development of the brain or spinal cord of the unborn child. Examples of these disorders are any neural-tube deficiencies and an absent enzyme.