[Early or late amniocentesis--which method is safer?]

Whether or not to perform early or late amniocentesis remains questionable due to higher fetal loss and the rate of talipes equinovarus after early amniocentesis.

We have compared the course of pregnancy, delivery and the condition of the newborns in patients after early and late amniocentesis in the group of women who had undergone amniocentesis in the Department of Obstetrics of Medical University of Gdansk between the years 1996-2003.

Early amniocentesis was performed in 302 patients (55.9%), late amniocentesis in 302 patients (44.1%). Fetal loss occurred in 8 pregnancies (2.6%) after early amniocentesis and in 2 cases (0.8%) after late amniocentesis (P = 0.10). There was no statistically significant difference between early and late amniocentesis, comparing complications following the procedure in the first 3 weeks after amniocentesis: lower abdominal pain, spotting, bleeding, leakage of amniotic fluid. Mean duration of pregnancy in patients after early amniocentesis was 38.5 +/- 3.9 and 38.4 +/- 3.3 weeks in late amniocentesis group. There was no statistically significant difference between these groups in the type of delivery and premature delivery rate. Frequency of pneumonia and the respiratory infections in newborns were comparable in two groups (6.8% vs. 4.8%). There was only one case of talipes equnovarus in a fetus after late amniocentesis and one case of congenital dysplasia of the hip in a fetus after late amniocentesis, too. There were not any such defects in a group after early amniocentesis.

The type of amniocentesis--early or late--has not got any influence on the frequency of complicattions after amniocentesis.