Amniotic fluid test strips how to#

You can return to your regular activities after the test. You might have cramping or mild pelvic pain after an amniocentesis. After the procedureĪfter amniocentesis, your health care provider will continue using the ultrasound to monitor your baby's heart rate. You might feel cramping when the needle enters your uterus. You might feel a sting when the needle enters your skin. You need to lie still while the needle is put in and the amniotic fluid is taken out. A small amount of amniotic fluid is drawn into a syringe. Guided by ultrasound, your health care provider will insert a thin, hollow needle through your stomach wall and into the uterus.

Most people report only mild soreness during the procedure. A numbing medication generally isn't used. Next, your health care provider will clean your abdomen. Your health care provider will apply a gel to your belly and then use a small device known as an ultrasound transducer to show your baby's position on a monitor. You'll lie on your back on an exam table with your belly showing. During the procedureįirst, a health care provider will use ultrasound to pinpoint where the baby is in the uterus. What you can expectĪmniocentesis is usually done in an outpatient obstetric center or a health care provider's office. Consider asking someone to accompany you to the appointment for emotional support or to drive you home afterward. Your health care provider will explain the procedure and ask you to sign a consent form. Your health care provider or genetic counselor can give you information to help you decide. The decision to have genetic amniocentesis is yours. Remember, genetic amniocentesis is usually offered to pregnant people for whom the test results might greatly affect how they manage the pregnancy. Someone who has an infection - such as hepatitis C, toxoplasmosis or HIV/ AIDS - might transfer it to the baby during amniocentesis. Very rarely, amniocentesis might trigger a uterine infection. This prevents the body from making Rh antibodies that can cross the placenta and damage the baby's red blood cells. Those with Rh negative blood who haven't developed antibodies to Rh positive blood are given an injection of a blood product, Rh immune globulin, after amniocentesis. Rarely, amniocentesis might cause the baby's blood cells to enter the pregnant person's bloodstream. During amniocentesis, the baby might move an arm or leg into the path of the needle. Research suggests that the risk of pregnancy loss is higher for amniocentesis done before 15 weeks of pregnancy. Second-trimester amniocentesis carries a slight risk of miscarriage - about 0.1% to 0.3% when done by a skilled person using ultrasound. In most cases, the amount of fluid lost is small and stops within one week with no effect on the pregnancy. Rarely, amniotic fluid leaks through the vagina after amniocentesis.

A health care provider might recommend amniocentesis to diagnose or rule out genetic conditions associated with unusual ultrasound findings.Īmniocentesis carries risks, which occur in approximately 1 in 900 tests. Besides identifying Down syndrome, amniocentesis can be used to diagnose other genetic conditions, such as cystic fibrosis. Having a family history of a genetic condition, or if the parents are carriers of a genetic condition.A health care provider might suggest amniocentesis to rule out these conditions if prenatal cell-free DNA screening is positive. Babies born to people 35 and older have a higher risk of chromosomal conditions, such as Down syndrome. A health care provider might suggest amniocentesis to look for that condition.

Having an earlier pregnancy affected by a genetic condition.

If the results of a screening test - such as the first-trimester screen or prenatal cell-free DNA screening - show high risk or are worrisome, amniocentesis might confirm or rule out a diagnosis.

Having positive results from a prenatal screening test.

Reasons to consider genetic amniocentesis include: Amniocentesis done before week 14 of pregnancy might lead to more complications. Genetic amniocentesis is usually done between weeks 14 and 20 of pregnancy.

Amniotic fluid test strips how to#

Generally, genetic amniocentesis is offered when the test results might affect how to manage the pregnancy. Genetic amniocentesis can provide information about the baby's genes. If delivery is planned sooner than 39 weeks, amniotic fluid might be tested to help find out whether a baby's lungs are mature enough for birth. Amniocentesis might be done to drain amniotic fluid from the uterus if too much has built up - a condition called polyhydramnios. Occasionally, amniocentesis is used to look for infection or other illness in the baby. This might follow another screening test that showed a high risk of the condition. Genetic amniocentesis involves taking a sample of amniotic fluid and testing the DNA from the cells for diagnosis of certain conditions, such as Down syndrome. Amniocentesis can be done for a number of reasons: