Tests on the Uterus
Amniocentesis : This test is usually carried out in the case of women who have conceived at an advanced age, to detect Down's syndrome (mongolism), genetically linked disorders, etc. In the uterus, the baby floats in a fluid known as the amniotic fluid. Some of this fluid is withdrawn by means of an injection syringe, and the cells in it are tested. The test can usually be carried out only after 16 weeks from the last menstrual period. All the limbs of the baby have been formed by this time. In the ultrasound scan, which is a necessary preliminary to amniocentesis, the doctor can discern all the limbs of the baby, and even its movements, such as sucking the thumb. The sex of the baby can therefore be ascertained at this stage during the ultrasonic scan. The sex of the baby can be determined by amniocentesis too.
Ultrasound Scan (Sonography): If the mother-to-be is over 35 years of age, and if she and her husband are smokers, an ultrasound scan is absolutely necessary, as out of every 1000 births in such cases, 46 babies have been found to be afflicted with serious congenital heart disease. Ultrasound scans must be carried out in such cases once in the eighth or ninth week, once in the fifteenth or sixteenth week, and once in the thirty-sixth week of pregnancy. The sex of the baby can be determined by sonography.
Chorionic Biopsy : Doctors and research workers all over (he world have constantly been looking for ways and means to ensure that any baby that is born should be perfectly healthy and free from all malformations and congenital defects. AccordÂingly they have evolved numerous testing procedures, so that congenital defects can be detected and eliminated before birth as far as possible. If the defects are serious and incurable, abortion is recommended. Chorionic biopsy is one such testing procedure that has been evolved recently. The test can be performed in the 10th to 12th weeks of pregnancy. In this test a thin tube or hollow needle is introduced into the uterus, and a few of the cells of the baby which have been discarded and are floating in the amniotic fluid are extracted. These cells are then cultured in vitro by special methods, and are subjected to various tests.
Chorionic biopsy can also be used to ascertain the sex of the baby.
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