Immediately following the amniocentesis, a woman may experience several relatively minor symptoms that should subside quickly. These include:

• Slight cramping
• Small amount of bleeding from the vagina
• Small amount of amniotic fluid leaking from the vagina

If a woman experiences continued symptoms after returning home, she should contact her obstetrician-gynecologist. Such symptoms include:

• Sustained loss of fluid
• Sustained bleeding
• Severe cramping over a period of hours

Women should refrain from strenuous activity and sexual intercourse on the day of the procedure, but typically can return to normal activities the following day.

Once the sample has been obtained, it is sent to a laboratory for analysis. Living cells from the fetus that are contained in the sample are grown in the laboratory for several weeks. They are then tested for chromosomal abnormalities and genetic birth defects. Results are likely to include information about:

• The number of chromosomes in the fetus. This can help indicate the potential presence of a genetic disorder. For example, a fetus with Down syndrome will have an extra chromosome, and a fetus with Turner syndrome will be missing a chromosome.
  
  
• The sex of the fetus.
  
  
• Whether or not the fetus is at increased risk of some birth defects, such as spina bifida.

Results from an amniocentesis will not show whether the baby has an inherited or genetic disease unless the lab is instructed to test for a specific condition. This is normally done only when there is a known family or obstetrical history that places the baby at risk for the same problem.

Test results are usually available within three weeks after the fluid arrives at the lab. More than 95 percent of women with high-risk pregnancies who receive this procedure find out that their fetuses do not have the abnormality for which they have been tested, according to the March of Dimes. However, a normal result from an amniocentesis does not guarantee that the fetus does not have a genetic disorder. Some problems cannot be detected by this procedure.