Amniocentesis is a test usually carried out to examine a baby’s chromosomes, most commonly in search for Down’s Syndrome. Amniocentesis is always voluntary and parents decide if they wish to choose to have this test. The information below may help you to decide whether or not to have this test.
Amniocentesis is the withdrawal of a small amount of fluid from around the baby (amniotic fluid). Cells from the baby’s skin and bladder are in the fluid and can be grown in the laboratory for chromosome analysis. Chromosomes are tiny microscopic packages present in every cell of the body. Normally in each human cell, there are 46 chromosomes. A missing or extra chromosome causes many changes in the way an unborn baby develops. Amniocentesis can detect Down’s Syndrome (which is caused by an extra no.21 chromosome), other chromosome abnormalities and certain genetic conditions when there is a family history of such a disease