Chorionic villus sampling

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Chorionic villus sampling

Chorionic villus sampling - series

The risks of CVS are only slightly higher than those of an amniocentesis. Fetal loss occurs about 2% of the time.

Possible complications include the following:

• Rupture of membranes (rupture of the amniotic membrane)
• Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage)
• Infection
• Bleeding
• Rh incompatibility in the mother
• Contamination of the sample with maternal cells

• CVS may be associated with an increased risk for limb anomalies in the fetus. This risk appears to be very low (1 in 3,000) when CVS is performed after 10 weeks gestational age.
• After this test, if your blood is Rh negative, you may receive RhoGAM to avoid Rh incompatibility.
• Two to 4 days after the CVS, you will be scheduled for a follow-up ultrasound, to ensure that the fetus survived the procedure.

Report any signs that there may be complications of the procedure to your health care provider:

• Excessive bleeding
• Excessive vaginal discharge
• Fever
• Miscarriage

Review Date: 09/19/2006
Reviewed By: Audra Robertson, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.