How?
Amniocentesis is a medical procedure by which a sample of amniotic fluid. It uses ultrasound to guide the actions of the doctor inserts a needle through the mother’s abdomen to reach the amniotic fluid. The doctor will remove a sample of amniotic fluid and then verify the baby’s heartbeat.

Why is it done?
Amniocentesis is performed to determine if the baby has:
* Any abnormality of chromosomes.
* Any disease that affects your metabolism serious birth defects such as spina bifida or Down syndrome.
* Diseases caused by an abnormal gene, metabolic, neurological, and so on.
* Also determine the sex of the baby.
* In case you need to check lung development, amniocentesis was carried out during the third quarter.

Risks
In the United States, statistics show that 1 in every 200 women who performed amniocentesis was experiencing infections or other complications that can cause pregnancy loss. It is also important to clarify that no prenatal test can guarantee the birth of a healthy baby, only some birth defects can be anticipated with this test. Therefore, amniocentesis should only be performed if the benefits outweigh the potential risks result.

When should we recommend?
This study was not performed in all pregnancies since carries a certain risk to the baby. Together you can discuss with your doctor the benefits and risks. In most cases only recommended an amniocentesis:

* If the pregnant woman is over 35 years. The risks of having a baby with Down syndrome increases with age of women.
* If the couple has a child with chromosomal defects or malformations.
* If the couple has a child or close relative with neural tube defects (defects of the spine and brain, including spina bifida and anencephaly). If the pregnant woman is carrying a genetic disease such as hemophilia.
* If parents are carriers of diseases such as Tay-Sachs or sickle cell.
* If it is necessary to determine the maturation of the baby’s lungs.
* If other tests (such as the triple screen or alpha-fetoprotein) have reflected abnormal results.