When does the Amniocentesis test take place?

The amniocentesis test is usually carried out between 15 and 20 weeks; sometimes the test is carried out earlier or later than this but doctors prefer to do the test at this time as there is a lower risk of complications. The amniocentesis test is recommended if you fulfil any of the following criteria:

• If you are over the age of 35 (as the risk of Down’s syndrome is higher in older women)
• If you have had a child with a genetic disorder
• If you have a family history of genetic conditions
• If a test has indicated that there may be a problem (this includes earlier screening tests including blood tests and ultrasound scans)

If you want to have a test earlier on in your pregnancy, you may be advised to have a CVS (chorionic villus sampling) test; this test can be carried out after 10 weeks of pregnancy. The CVS test involves taking a sample of cells from the placenta. The test can be used to detect genetic conditions and abnormalities in a similar way to the amniocentesis test but it can be done around 6 weeks earlier than the amniocentesis test. The risk of miscarriage is slightly higher than the amniocentesis test at around 1-2%.