What is an "amniocentesis"?

What is an "amniocentesis"?

Kathryn J. Shaw (Maternal-Fetal Medicine, White Memorial Medical Center, Los Angeles) gives expert video advice on: Can Down syndrome be treated? and more...

An amniocentesis is a test whereby we remove about 10 to 15 cc's of amniotic fluid from the pregnancy sac. That is not very much fluid - only a couple of teaspoons. There are a number of reasons we might do an amniocentesis: it can be done for genetic purposes and can also be done to study other issues with the developing foetus.