Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A procedure in which a small sample of amniotic fluid is drawn out of the uterus through a needle inserted in the abdomen. The fluid is then analyzed to detect genetic abnormalities in the fetus or to determine the sex of the fetus.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun medicine A procedure for obtaining
amniotic fluid from a pregnant animal, by inserting a hollow needle through theabdominal wall and into theamniotic sac . Used in diagnosing possiblegenetic defects and/orobstetric complications.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun (pregnancy) extraction by centesis of amniotic fluid from a pregnant woman (after the 15th week of pregnancy) to aid in the diagnosis of fetal abnormalities
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word amniocentesis.
Examples
-
A genetic amniocentesis is recommended in the evaluation of possible TTTS to confirm same sex status and to rule out chromosome abnormalities and fetal infection.
-
One area Dr. Tita says he'd like to explore further is whether late-term amniocentesis, currently used to determine respiratory health in a fetus, could be used more widely to sort out which deliveries carry the most risks and which ones could, indeed, be performed before 39 weeks.
-
Pregnant women often opt for a prenatal test called amniocentesis that requires a needle to be inserted through the walls of the abdomen and uterus to draw a sample of the fluid surrounding the fetus.
New Prenatal Tests Offer Safer, Early Screenings Amy Dockser Marcus 2011
-
Usually it's the needle procedure Witkowski had, called amniocentesis, done almost four months or more into the pregnancy.
-
Usually it's the needle procedure Witkowski had, called amniocentesis, done almost four months or more into the pregnancy.
-
Usually it's the needle procedure Witkowski had, called amniocentesis, done almost four months or more into the pregnancy.
-
No one expects such tests to immediately replace amniocentesis, which is considered the gold standard for acquiring definitive genetic information and is performed around 200,000 times a year in the U.S. alone.
New Prenatal Tests Offer Safer, Early Screenings Amy Dockser Marcus 2011
-
Usually it's the needle procedure Witkowski had, called amniocentesis, done almost four months or more into the pregnancy.
-
This paper was rushed into print in order to establish priority for this fundamental discovery, which helped lay the foundation for the prenatal diagnostic technique called amniocentesis and the discipline called medical genetics.
Mathilde Krim. 2009
-
It seems that ACOG (The American College of OB/GYN's) you know, your friendly OB who gives pregnant women 25 mcg of mercury in that flu shot, is now offering a screening for Down syndrome to all women of any age - not just via amniocentesis, which is typically used only in women over age 35.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.