Women's experiences with second trimester prenatal diagnosis |
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Authors: | Marianne Verjaal Nico J. Leschot Pieter E. Treffers |
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Affiliation: | 1. Institute of Human Genetics, Sarphatistraat 217, 1018 BX Amsterdam, The Netherlands;2. University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wilhelmina Gasthuis, le Helmersstraat 104, 1054 EG Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
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Abstract: | By means of questionnaires, 100 women were asked for their experiences concerning prenatal diagnosis. At four standardized stages of the pregnancy a questionnaire was filled in asking for: expectation, knowledge, attitude towards termination of the pregnancy in case of abnormal findings, reactions to the counselling and the obstetric treatment, interpretation of own risk, experiences since the normal test results were known and ideas to improve the treatment. With regard to the effect of pre-amniocentesis counselling it is concluded that the counselling had little impact on decision making; the counselling caused an increase of factual knowledge: somewhat more than half of the women who did not give a correct answer before counselling, indicated the right answer some time afterwards. Presumed differences in reaction patterns for a number of characteristics were not affirmed by the study; the reactions during the procedure of prenatal diagnosis seem to be highly individual and difficult to predict. In addition to the reactions of the 100 women described in this study, the responses to the first questionnaire of another 16 patients, declining amniocentesis after counselling, are presented. |
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Keywords: | KEY WORDS Pre-amniocentesis counselling Patient experience with prenatal diagnosis |
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