Amniocentesis: Advantages vs. Disadvantages & Ethics Amniocentesis has become of the most controversial and fastest growing trends of expecting parents. The pros and cons of this contentious prenatal test have continually been increasing. Amniocentesis is a prenatal test that allows a doctor to gather information about a baby’s health and development from a sample of amniotic fluid. The test is most commonly done when the women is between 15 and 18 weeks pregnant. The test is used to determine whether the baby has genetic or chromosomal abnormalities. Amniocentesis has recently caused a great deal of controversy in the news at doctor offices in the United States. After comparing the pros and cons it is eminent that amniocentesis is an important test that should be offered to those pregnant women who desire to have it. Amniocentesis offers many advantages to the expecting mother. This test determines whether the unborn baby has genetic or chromosomal abnormalities. It identifies several hundred genetic disorders including some of the most common such as Down syndrome and Edward’s syndrome. It can also identify other genetic disorders such as Tay-Sachs disease, Huntington’s disease, Sickle cell disease, and cystic fibrosis. Other testing techniques such as ultrasounds pick up on these problems. Only amniocentesis is able to provide the information needed to diagnosis these problems in the womb. Amniocentesis can also indicate whether the baby is at risk for spina bifida and anencephaly. The test is more than 99 percent accurate in diagnosing these various conditions. It is the only test that can provide results which are accurate. Other important reasons to have the test include checking the well being of the baby. This is important if the mother has blood sensitization, such as Rh sensitization. Also the test can determine whether the baby’s lungs are mature enough for an early delivery if the mother appears to be in premature labor. As amniocentesis has become more popular more women opt for the test to ensure that their child is in perfect health. More than 95 percent of the high-risk women who have amniocentesis receive good news from their results. Only about 5 percent will be found to have a baby with a problem. This test is usually offered to those who are found to have a somewhat increased risk of having a baby with a chromosomal or genetic defect.
Reflection Paper 1 Timothy Jenkins CEP 215 New Mexico State University Upon viewing “More Business of Being Born” (Epstein, 2011), I learned a lot about the different pros and cons of Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC). Women are often deprived of the choice of the method of delivery of their children after they’ve previously had a cesarean birth. The cause of this is that there exists medical fright about a rupture of the uterus which often leads to the death of mother and baby (Epstein, 2011). In the mid twentieth century, it became common saying that “once a cesarean, always a cesarean” came about. This saying perpetrated the fear and understanding that women have to go about having another cesarean, depriving them of choice (Epstein, 2011).
The focus of this paper is to discuss the different characteristics of the two most effective methods of child births: Natural births and Cesarean section (C-section). Child birth includes labor and delivery; the entire process of passage from the womb, to the birth canal, to the outside world. Natural birth is a method of child birth in which medical interventions are minimal and the mother usually practices relaxation and breathing techniques to minimize pain during delivery. Cesarean section (c-section) is a method of birth which involves delivery through incisions in the abdominal walls and uterus. Natural births and C-sections both pose documented medical risks to the mother’s health including infections and other medical mishaps (Rowe- Murray 2002).
As for the concern with genetic abnormalities a process called Amniocentesis can be performed before the sixteenth week into pregnancy. It is suggested that this screening be done sooner in the pregnancy. Amniocentesis is a fetal screening process in with they take fluid from your amniotic sac and derive cells from the fluid and make a culture out of the cells. You should consider this as the doctors can then examine the culture to indicate genetic or chromosomal abnormalities. I will forewarn you that it does contain the risk of causing a miscarriage however. Do to the fact that you are conceiving at this age it is recommended that you have some sort of screening done and in fact its quite the norm for women approaching towards their forties to have it done. There is a procedure that can be done later on in the pregnancy but it has a higher miscarriage risk. If you and your doctor come to the conclusion that this is not the route you want to go there is a blood test that can be done on both of you to detect neural tube defects like Spina Bifida and certain chromosomal abnormalities. This process is called alpha-fetoprotein. If you want to eliminate any extra miscarriage risk added from amniocentesis then you should opt to talk to your care physician about the latter of the two
In the world we're living in today, some women aren’t capable of having babies. With the help of Surrogacy, it’s possible to have children of your own even if you aren’t capable of having them. Surrogacy is defined as the carrying of someone else's baby. The use of surrogacy commonly occurs when both parents are incapable of having a baby due to various reasons and men around the world can have children of their own. Although surrogacy can be a good thing, Surrogacy also has it’s pros and cons just like everything else. As we proceed for the purpose of this essay I will inform you about what Surrogacy is, the different methods of Surrogacy and how society views Surrogacy.
second, prenatal testing, is a testing of a fetus at risk for the disease. The
For decades newborns have gone through screening and assessments to determine where they are health wise after birth. The screening and assessments not only worry about the immediate moment, but also look for possible presence of disorders that could affect the newborn in the future. There are a number of different assessments and scales used after a newborn is born. The neonatal assessments and scales range from assessing behavior to determining whether there is a possible medical condition that could arise later in life for the infant. The screening and assessments are necessary, even if not all of them are completed there are some that will be done automatically after birth.
...s. Most women are fortunate and have an outcome of a full term, healthy baby, however, there are some women that are not so fortunate and have preterm births. With this said, all women, when contemplating pregnancy, should be aware of all the risks and possible complications that can arise and also the preventions that can be taken.
There is also a high-resolution ultrasound scanning that can detect chromosomal and physical abnormalities in the first trimester as opposed to the second trimester. A technology such as this can create many ethical problems. Mcfadyen describes the biggest problem as being informed consent. “They may believe that it will provide information only about gestational age and be unaware of the range of abnormalities that can be detected. Recent research suggests that many women are not told beforehand of the first scan’s potential to detect fetal anomalies.”
When it comes to genetic diseases and conditions, testing can be very helpful and serve a good purpose. People with diseases that are inheritable to their children are encouraged to be tested. For example, in the article about Jewish testing, it says
Many women today are doing more C-sections, also known as cesarean, than they are natural. Whether the reasons being because it’s more convenient or that some moms did not really have a choice, the percentage is still growing. “The cesarean delivery rate increased from 26% to 36.5% between 2003 and 2009; 50.0% of the increase was attributable to an increase in primary cesarean delivery (National Partnership for Women & Families, 201.)” There are many things to consider when deciding which is the right or safer choice. With both choices comes risks for the baby like, possible respiratory problems with a C-section. The mom has many risks to worry about for herself as well, like possibly hemorrhaging. There is also the recovery and the long-term effects that a woman has to put into consideration. They both have their pros and cons that should not be taken lightly.
Prenatal genetic testing has become one of the largest and most influencial advances in clinical genetics today. "Of the over 4000 genetic traits which have been distinguished to date, more than 300 are identifiable via prenatal genetic testing" (Morris, 1993). Every year, thousands of couples are subjecting their lives to the results of prenatal tests. For some, the information may be a sigh of relief, for others a tear of terror. The psychological effects following a prenatal test can be devastating, leaving the woman with a decision which will affect the rest of her life.
There are multiple tests and doctors that may help diagnose a patient with Tay-Sachs disease. These test are organized into three groups based on when they are performed, such as preconception, antenatal, and after birth. Before pregnancy, both parents may have blood tests implemented in order to check for a hexosaminidase A deficiency. Such blood test are conducted by doing an enzyme analysis of blood or tissue. If both parents test positive for this deficiency there will be a 25% chance that the child will be affected by Tay-Sachs disease. Two types of antenatal testing may be performed in order to check the fetus for the disease, such as chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis testing. An acceptable testing period for chorionic villus
Prenatal genetic screening in particular is a polarizing topic of discussion, more specifically, preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). PGD is one of the two techniques commonly used to genetically screen embryos in vitro; it is usually done at the eight-cell stage of division. PGD is most often performed when there is the risk that one or both parents carry disease-causing mutations. It is extensively used by high-risk individuals trying to conceive babes who will be free of particular mutations. PGD can test for over 50 genetic conditions and even allows for sex selection if there are underlying gender-associated medical conditions. When the results are satisfactory, the selected embryo is implanted into the mother’s uterus. While a controversial technique, preimplantation genetic diagnosis is one example of some of the good genetic testing can do, more benefits will be furthe...
Genetic testing is a type of medical test that identifies the changes in chromosomes, genes, or proteins. The results of a genetic test can confirm or rule out a genetic condition and if it can be passed on. I feel that genetic testing’s pros outweigh the cons. The physical risks of the genetic testing are very small. A positive result of genetic testing can help a person maintain prevention, and treatment options. Some test results can also help people make decisions about having children. Newborn genetic screenings can help identify genetic disorders early in life so treatment can be started as early as possible so that the unwanted gene will not pass on.
Newborn screening is the practice in which the harmful or potentially fatal conditions that can affect the infant's health or survival are detected. This process can prevent death or health problems and protect the infant against certain diseases and medical conditions. Newborn screening started in 1960's when many states in U.S.A. established a newborn test program for phenylketonuria (PKU) by using the Guthrie method, a system for the collection and transportation of blood samples on filter paper. Many Infants showed developments while receiving treatment. This success led to the addition of tests for other metabolic diseases. Over time, tests were added for endocrine disorders and now newborn screening program include more than 50 individual conditions.