Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)

CVS (Chorionic Villus Sampling)

Why It Is Done

Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is done to:

• Find family genetic problems (such as Tay-Sachs disease, hemophilia, sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, or thalassemia) of your baby during pregnancy, especially if either you or the father has a family history of a genetic problem.
• Find chromosomal birth defects (such as Down syndrome), especially if you are over age 35.
• Find out the sex of your baby if you know you might have a sex-linked genetic disorder. For example, hemophilia can be passed from a mother (who does not have the disease) only to her male children. Her female children may be carriers of the disease but will not have the disease.
• Find the blood type of your baby when Rh sensitization has occurred.
• Find the cause of a miscarriage, especially if you have had more than one.

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Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC	Last Updated: October 12, 2006
Medical Review:	Renée M. Crichlow, MD - Family Medicine Siobhan M. Dolan, MD, MPH - Reproductive Genetics Liisa Honey, MD, FRCSC - Obstetrics and Gynecology
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