Fetal Testing

An amniocentesis is when fluid is drawn from the amniotic sac (the fluid around the baby) using a narrow needle. This is done at 15 – 20 weeks of pregnancy to test for genetic problems. We offer this to all of our pregnant women, however, it is most commonly done once the initial screening test returns as high risk for Down syndrome. Please discuss with your provider whether this is an appropriate test for you.

A Non-Stress Test is monitoring of the baby’s heart beat and uterine contractions over a period of 20 to 40 minutes. We do this test if you are not feeling the baby move after 32 weeks or as monitoring for reassurance that the baby is doing fine in certain high risk conditions. Your practitioner will determine if this is the appropriate test for you.