Patient's question:
My husband has thalassemia, and I didn't find any signs of it. I'm worried it might be inherited to the baby in my belly. I'm now 2 months pregnant and want to do an amniocentesis for a thorough check. Is it safe for pregnant women to have an amniocentesis? The kind of help I need: Is it safe for pregnant women to have an amniocentesis?Doctor's answer:
According to your description of the condition, you want to undergo amniocentesis to carefully check if the child has Mediterranean disease. There are some risks that need to be known in advance. Amniocentesis does carry certain risks, with the possibility of complications ranging from 0.5% to 1.5%. Due to the manual nature of the procedure, it cannot be guaranteed to be 100% safe. However, with the widespread use of amniocentesis now, the technology and equipment have improved significantly. Nowadays, the procedure is typically guided by ultrasound, so doctors can generally avoid the placenta and successfully extract amniotic fluid.