What is the risk of miscarriage from amniocentesis?
Although it’s often estimated to be between one in 200 and one in 400, there’s no real consensus on the actual risk of miscarriage due to amniocentesis. One large recent study estimated the risk to be as low as one in 1,666, although some experts dispute the methodology used to arrive at this figure. Because a certain percentage of women will end up miscarrying in the second trimester anyway, there’s no way of knowing for sure whether a miscarriage following an amnio was actually caused by the procedure. Your particular risk depends in large part on the skill and experience of the doctor performing the procedure.
