Amniocentesis is a procedure to extract a small sample of the amniotic fluid from the amniotic sac within the womb. The sample is collected by inserting a needle to the amniotic sac through the mother’s abdomen. Amniotic fluid is a clear pale yellow fluid that surrounds the fetus. This fluid contains various enzymes, proteins, hormones as well as cells from the fetus. Generally the cells from the sample collected through amniocentesis is analyzed for any genetic disorders such as Downs syndrome, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease etc. It is also helpful in determining if the fetus has any infection. Amniocentesis is generally done after 16 th week of pregnancy. It is done as a day care procedure and usually takes 15 to 20 minutes. This is followed by a post procedure observation of around 30 minutes.