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Why it's done
By Mayo Clinic staffPercutaneous umbilical blood sampling can provide important information about your baby's health. It's not a common test, however. It's typically offered only when the test results may have a significant impact on the management of the pregnancy.
Specifically, percutaneous umbilical blood sampling can be used to identify:
- Chromosomal conditions. Percutaneous umbilical blood sampling can be used to diagnose chromosomal conditions, such as Down syndrome.
- Blood disorders. Percutaneous umbilical blood sampling can be used to detect various blood disorders, including anemia, sickle cell disease and hemophilia. The test can also determine whether the baby has Rh positive or Rh negative blood. If your blood is Rh negative and your baby's blood is Rh positive, your body may make antibodies that attack the baby's red blood cells.
- Infections. If you have an infection, such as toxoplasmosis or rubella, percutaneous umbilical blood sampling may be used to determine whether the baby has the infection, too.
- Restricted growth. Sometimes percutaneous umbilical blood sampling is used to determine why a baby isn't growing as expected.
Percutaneous umbilical blood sampling can't be used to test for neural tube defects, such as spina bifida.
Sometimes percutaneous umbilical blood sampling is used to supplement the results from other diagnostic screenings and tests, such as ultrasound. This procedure can also be used to deliver blood transfusions and medication to the baby through the umbilical cord. Use of percutaneous umbilical blood sampling is decreasing, however. Newer forms of technology can sometimes provide the same information from tests that pose a smaller risk of miscarriage, such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling.
