Many readers point out that amniotic fluid is not necessarily “collected without doing any harm to mother or child.” As one e-mailer writes: “though it may be routine, it is an invasive procedure performed by puncturing the amniotic sac with a needle, and it carries some risks: miscarriage results from amnio one in 200 to one in 400 times; there is a risk of uterine infection; there is a risk of harm to the baby. advocates recommend that women seek out only the most experienced doc to perform it. good advice, but how, after all, does one become an experienced doc, if not by first having been an inexperienced one?”