Fetal Loss After Amniocentesis

Women who are considering amniocentesis often express concern about whether the procedure can cause miscarriage. Older studies demonstrated a miscarriage risk of 0.5% to 1.3% . . .

Women who are considering amniocentesis often express concern about whether the procedure can cause miscarriage. Older studies demonstrated a miscarriage risk of 0.5% to 1.3% above the 3.0% background risk for a second-trimester loss. The authors of this retrospective study from Greece postulated that, after 20 years of experience with the procedure and newer, ultrasound-guided techniques, the miscarriage rate after amniocentesis may have decreased and that risk factors such as older maternal age, bleeding with current pregnancy, and fetal-loss history may influence outcome.

The study group consisted of 708 women who reported bleeding during pregnancy and 298 who had a history of 3 or more first-trimester abortions and/or second-trimester mi…

Reviewing Author

Diane E. Judge, MS, RN, CS, FNP