Stem cells taken from amniotic fluid and the risk of spontaneous abortion from amnio

Star-Telegram 02/11/2007 No quarter, little change: "Last month, researchers reported that stem cells drawn from the amniotic fluid of pregnant women have many of the properties of embryonic stem cells, but cautioned that the cells wouldn't necessarily replace embryonic cells."

There is something the scientists are leaving out when they talk of stem cells taken from amniotic fluid. I learned about this when I was pregnant with my first child and was considering amnio.

Critics of embryonic stem cell research should be appalled at taking stem cells from amniotic fluid, because the risk of spontaeous abortion from amnio is as high as 1 in 200. By saying this is better (and saying "commonly drawn" as though every pregnant woman needs/gets amnio) they are saying it's better to risk a gestating fetus than some cells in a petri dish or test tube that have the potential to become a fetus.

Here's something I found online, for anyone who doesn't know the risks of amnio:
http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/681_1164.asp

A clip from the article:

>>Is amniocentesis safe?Millions of women have had prenatal diagnosis by amniocentesis. In 1976, after careful study, the National Institutes of Health reported that it found midtrimester amniocentesis for prenatal diagnosis to be safe. However, amniocentesis does pose a slight risk of miscarriage. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate of miscarriage is between one in 400 and one in 200 procedures.

The procedure also carries an extremely low risk of uterine infection (less than one in 1,000), which can cause miscarriage. Studies suggest that the risk of miscarriage following first-trimester amniocentesis may be three times higher than the risk after second-trimester amniocentesis. A 1998 Canadian study found the risk of miscarriage was 2.6 percent after early amniocentesis, compared to 0.8 percent after second-trimester amniocentesis.

The study also found a striking increase in the risk of a foot deformity called clubfoot after early amniocentesis. The risk of clubfoot was increased ten-fold after early amniocentesis (1.3 percent vs. 0.1 percent or 1 in 1,000 following second-trimester amniocentesis). The incidence of clubfoot following second-trimester amniocentesis does not differ from that seen in all U.S. babies.

Based upon this and other studies, doctors are rethinking the role of early amniocentesis, and many believe that if first-trimester prenatal testing is necessary, chorionic villus sampling appears safer than early amniocentesis.<<

Tracy
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Adult Stem Cell Breakthrough. Watch the videos here: http://www.OrganicStemCellEnhancer.com