Question

When a pregnant woman undergoes a procedure that punctures the abdomen to withdraw a sample of the fluid surrounding the fetus or embryo, it is called a(n):

1) fetal stress test
2) intra-amniotic injection
3) amniocentesis
4) culdocentesis

Answer 1

The procedure in which an abdomen is punctured to withdraw fluid surrounding a fetus is called amniocentesis. It can reveal genetic health of the fetus and is also a source of non-embryonic stem cells.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a pregnant woman undergoes a procedure that punctures the abdomen to withdraw a sample of the fluid surrounding the fetus or embryo, it is called amniocentesis. This medical procedure is used for prenatal diagnosis in which a small amount of amniotic fluid, which contains fetal tissues, is sampled from the amniotic sac surrounding a developing fetus. The amniotic fluid contains fetal cells and various proteins.

Amniocentesis can provide valuable information about the fetus's genetic health since the amniotic fluid contains fetal cells that can be examined for genetic disorders. Moreover, amniotic fluid is a source of non-embryonic stem cells, which have the ability to differentiate into a variety of cell types, suggesting its potential for various therapeutic applications.