Amniotic fluid examination

The diagnostically relevant procedures that have been carried out on the unborn child for several years include the Amniotic fluid examination or the Amniocentesis. The medical assessment of the amniotic fluid allows conclusions to be drawn about the development and condition of the child.

What is an amniotic fluid test?

One determining procedure that is used in the prenatal or prenatal phase is the Amniotic fluid examination. This intervention is also called Amniocentesis denotes and is of central importance in connection with pregnancy prophylaxis.

The amniotic fluid test or amniocentesis can detect various diseases of the child or an impending premature birth in good time.

The amniotic fluid test opens up the possibility for many parents-to-be to decide for or against a child with a physical and / or mental disability or illness. The amniotic fluid reflection is also offered as a rapid test variant.

Function, effect & goals

The Amniotic fluid reflection is a medical procedure that the doctors consciously decide together with the future parents. With an amniocentesis, various abnormalities and health impairments in the child can be identified as early as the 15th and 18th week of pregnancy.

In this context, the amniotic fluid examination focuses on the specific diagnosis of an intolerance to the blood groups of the child and mother, early detection of a missed or premature birth and the presence of Down's syndrome. From a certain age of pregnant women, an amniotic fluid should always be carried out, because the older the women, the greater the likelihood that "everything is not all right" with the child.

During the amniotic fluid examination, the pregnant women do not suffer any pain because the puncture region can be anesthetized locally. In most cases, this measure can be omitted for the benefit of the child. The doctor inserts a thin cannula through the woman's abdominal wall into the uterus. There the fetus lies embedded in the amniotic fluid.

After taking a small amount of amniotic fluid, this sample is sent to a cytology laboratory. This is where the actual amniotic fluid test takes place. The amniotic fluid contains different cells of the fetus, from which the genetic information can be taken and determined. Possible health risks can be deduced from this.

The child is not injured during the amniotic fluid test, which requires extremely sterile work. For this purpose, the treating specialists use additional imaging devices that enable, for example, an accompanying ultrasound recording.

In addition to the very early amniotic fluid examination, during which the child is still a fetus, an unborn child can also be examined from the 30th week of pregnancy to determine whether the lungs are sufficiently developed. In this way, it is possible to estimate what chances of survival the child has and whether a premature birth has to be planned.

Under these conditions, in turn, significantly better postnatal (postnatal) care of the infant can be achieved. The amniotic fluid test is also a scientific basis to meet the wishes of parents who do not want to raise a disabled child and who want a legal termination of pregnancy.

Risks & dangers

Basically, it is essential to make a decision for one Amniotic fluid examination Well thought out, because risks and side effects cannot be ruled out. Since it involves an intervention in the maternal organism and the intact environment of the fetus, pathogenic germs can be brought in, for example. These can trigger premature birth or prenatal disease in the pregnant woman and the child.

Injuries to the fetus occur only very rarely during amniotic fluid tests - but they do occur. Due to the invasion of an amniotic fluid test, it is possible that premature labor is triggered and miscarriages are to be expected. Subsequent penetration of blood into the uterus and the premature drainage of amniotic fluid cannot be ruled out after an amniotic fluid test.

Parents must also be adequately informed about the risk of unintentional punctures in the placenta or injuries to the uterine tissues. These complications cannot be ruled out with an amniotic fluid test either during or after the procedure.

The vast majority of pregnant women will pass an amniotic fluid test without complications. Slight pulling through contraction-like movements of the muscles is normal.