Amniotic Fluid Test: How Does This Diagnose Genetic Abnormalities? - Dr. Ahdoot

Dr. Ahdoot:

There are very high-risk situations such as amniotic fluid embolism, which has a very high maternity mortality rate, and it’s very difficult at times to diagnose that. It’s kind of a zebra. At the same time, if the amniotic fluid is low, which is a more common situation, which we see with patients who are older actually, depending on placental insufficiency or how well the blood flows to the baby. On the other side, we can have patients who have a lot of fluid such as we see those situations with diabetes or other medical problems.

So one way we do surveillance of the baby is to evaluate the amniotic fluid. If there’s a question of genetic abnormalities or potentially other abnormalities, by removing some of the fluid and sending it for genetic testing, we can actually look for chromosomal markers for abnormalities. So the fluid around the baby is an environment from which we can learn a lot, and that’s one of the ways we monitor pregnancy.

About Dr. David Ahdoot, M.D.:
David Ahdoot specializes in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Saint John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California. He attended medical school at the University of California San Diego Medical Center. Later he went on to do his internship and residency at the University of California Irvine Medical Center. With more than 16 years experience, Dr. Ahdoot is a Diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

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