Detailed Explanation of My Amniocentesis Process
I’m someone who typically has a lot of anxiety about “what ifs”, but I’ve found that the more information I can learn about something to help myself prepare helps me a lot. I searched online but couldn’t really find the detailed breakdown of the amniocentesis process that I was looking for. Now that I’m on the other side of the procedure with my results, I’m sharing my full experience with the hope that this breakdown provides the clarity and comfort I was searching for during my own spiral.
Timeline: March 20th - Abnormal Finding at 20 Week Anatomy Scan. March 23rd - Genetic Counselor called with a referral from my OB to set up an appointment. March 26th - Telehealth Appointment with Genetic Counselor, this lasted roughly an hour and a half, I scheduled my amniocentesis at the end of this appointment. March 30th - Date of Amniocentesis. April 7th - Results.
I wasn't given any special instructions for the morning of, no fasting required. We arrived at the MFM office about 10 minutes early. After a quick check in and a blood pressure reading my husband and I were called back to the exam room fairly quickly. I was allowed one guest, my husband stayed with me the entire time.
The sonographer was the first person I spoke to and she started with a standard ultrasound that took about 10 minutes. She was fairly quiet during the scan, which seems to be the norm. Once I cleaned off the gel and adjusted my dress, she handed me 3 forms: The amniocentesis risk acknowledgement, a consent form for the blood draw, and a post-procedure sheet to keep. After signing she left the room and I had about a 15 minute wait before the genetic counselor came in.
The genetic counselor checked in to see if we had any final questions and confirmed which level of testing we wanted. Since my NIPT results had already come back low risk, we decided to skip the FISH test. It didn't feel like it would give us any new definitive information, especially since we were already committed to the longer wait for the microarray anyway. She stayed and talked with us until the OB, the sonographer, and a student entered the room.
They started everything right away and I was laid completely flat, more so than you are for a typical ultrasound. While the sonographer located the baby with the ultrasound, the OB used finger to poke around in various places on my stomach. He talked me through every step which really helped to put me at ease. After applying betadine to my stomach, he inserted a 3.5in 22g collection needle about 2 inches left of my bellybutton (baby is breech, I have an anterior placenta, not sure if that impacts anything). The needle initially feels like any standard shot, and then for me it felt like a very short but intense cramp as it went into my uterus. Other than the 2 entries I could not actually feel the needle inside of me and did not experience any other pain. I watched the ultrasound screen the entire time, the needle appeared as a bright line and came nowhere near the baby. The OB attached a syringe, collected a vial of pale yellow, slightly cloudy fluid, and removed the needle. This took less than two minutes. After one final heartbeat check of the baby and a small bandaid, the OB reminded me the results would take about two weeks, made sure I was feeling fine, and left so I could clean up. Though they offered me a few minutes to “get my bearings”, I felt completely fine and went straight to the phlebotomist for a quick AFP blood draw.
After the appointment, I felt more emotionally drained than anything else. My husband and I picked up dinner so I wouldn't have to cook, and I took a 2 hour nap almost as soon as we got home. That evening I had some mild, intermittent cramping but nothing concerning. I didn’t experience any fluid leakage, bleeding, or intense pain. By the next day I felt completely normal and was able to make it to my fetal echo without any issues. I did have some mild bruising around the collection site, slightly larger than the size of a quarter. which lasted for a couple of weeks.
The results actually came back much quicker than I anticipated. I was out running errands when the genetic counselor called so I missed it, but she left a voicemail saying she had “good news” and didn't provide specific details. When I called her back an hour later she confirmed that the microarray was completely normal, a good sign that the findings from our anatomy scan were a standalone issue and not part of a larger genetic condition.