Chorionic Villus Sampling Seen Safe

Testing for genetic defects early in pregnancy through chorionic villus sampling, or CVS, does not appear to raise the risk of fetal loss.

CVS involves using a needle to collect samples of the embryonic structure that goes on the form the placenta.

The process can be performed as early as 10 weeks into pregnancy, and provides cells of fetal origin that can be examined for chromosomal abnormalities.

There has been concern that the procedure might cause miscarriage [causes of early miscarriage], but in the current study the fetal loss rate following chorionic villus sampling was no different than the rate among pregnant women who did not undergo an invasive procedure.

“With the recent recommendations for screening for chromosomal abnormalities…demand for prenatal diagnosis are expected to increase,” the researchers write in the medical journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

“Providing reliable information on the fetal loss rate and potential risk factors for fetal loss is important during counseling before undergoing an invasive procedure.”

Read more at Reuters