Is amniocentesis necessary for older pregnant women?

After a woman becomes pregnant, she needs to undergo different examinations at different stages. Especially for older pregnant women, the risk increases with the progress of pregnancy. The risks here include risks to the mother and fetus. The mother may suffer from various pregnancy complications, and the incidence of some congenital diseases in the fetus will also be greatly increased. One of the pregnancy checkups is amniocentesis. So is it necessary for older pregnant women to do it as well?

What fetal problems can be diagnosed by amniocentesis?

Amniocentesis during mid-pregnancy can be used for fetal chromosome karyotype analysis, diagnosis of chromosome genetic diseases and gender determination. Amniotic fluid cell DNA can also be used to diagnose genetic and metabolic diseases. Determination of alpha-fetoprotein in amniotic fluid can also diagnose fetal open neural tube defects, etc.

Amniocentesis in late pregnancy can measure blood type, bilirubin, lecithin, sphingomyelin, placental lactogen, etc., and understand whether there is maternal-fetal blood type incompatibility, hemolysis, fetal lung maturity, skin maturity, placental function, etc.

Is it necessary for older pregnant women to undergo amniocentesis?

It is best to do a maternal blood screening test between 15 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. This test is safe and harmless. If congenital idiocy is suspected, amniocentesis can confirm whether the fetus has chromosomal disease with a high accuracy rate. Amniocentesis is a relatively safe and reliable diagnostic method. Once congenital idiocy is diagnosed, the pregnancy should be terminated immediately. Since older mothers are more likely to suffer from difficult labor and pregnancy complications, it is best to choose a hospital with better medical technology conditions for prenatal examinations and delivery, and if necessary, be admitted to the hospital early to wait for delivery.

Obstetric experts point out that if a pregnant woman is of advanced maternal age, the possibility of her fetus having congenital diseases will be much higher than that of a normal woman of childbearing age. Therefore, older mothers must undergo pregnancy checkups during pregnancy. As one of the important diagnostic methods during pregnancy, doctors will recommend amniocentesis to older mothers for the sake of fetal health. Some pregnant women may worry about the safety of amniocentesis. The doctor pointed out that everyone can rest assured about this issue. Because nowadays, as an important method of prenatal diagnosis, the technology of amniocentesis has become very mature.

In fact, older mothers have become more mature in some more developed countries abroad. Even some older mothers will take the initiative to go to the hospital for this prenatal check-up after they become pregnant. At the same time, some places have included amniocentesis for older pregnant women as a mandatory prenatal item.

When is amniocentesis appropriate?

Amniocentesis is done to screen for chromosomal abnormalities in order to reduce the birth of retarded and mentally retarded children. Generally speaking, amniocentesis is recommended for high-risk pregnant women over the age of 35. Amniocentesis is not mandatory, but doctors recommend it for the health of the next generation. People who are under 35 years old but are found to have high-risk factors after intravenous Down syndrome screening should also undergo amniocentesis for safety reasons.

In addition, pregnant women who have given birth to a child with chromosomal abnormalities must undergo amniocentesis. Pregnant women who have been exposed to toxic substances or radiation during pregnancy may also have adverse effects on the fetus, so amniocentesis is also necessary.