• A prenatal diagnostic procedure in which a small sample of amniotic fluid is removed from the uterus by a needle inserted into the abdomen. This procedure is used to detect various genetic abnormalities in the fetus and/or the sex of the fetus.
  NCI
  U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
• Percutaneous transabdominal puncture of the uterus during pregnancy to obtain amniotic fluid; it is commonly used for fetal karyotype determination in order to diagnose abnormal fetal conditions.
  CRISP Thesaurus
  National Institutes of Health, 2006
• The removal of amniotic fluid by using a needle through the maternal gravid abdomen has been done since 1877. Initially, it was reported as a therapeutic modality to release amniotic fluid from fetuses with polyhydramnios or to help in the management of fetuses affected by rhesus isoimmunization.
  Medscape
  WebMD, 2025
• Amniocentesis is a procedure in which amniotic fluid is removed from the uterus for testing or treatment. Amniotic fluid is the fluid that surrounds and protects a baby during pregnancy. This fluid contains fetal cells and various proteins.
  Mayo Clinic
  Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2025
• Amniocentesis, the surgical insertion of a hollow needle through the abdominal wall and into the uterus of a pregnant female and the aspiration of fluid from the amniotic sac for analysis. Examination of the amniotic fluid itself as well as the fetal cells found in the fluid can reveal such things...
  Encyclopedia Britannica
  Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2025