Maternal serum screening and psychosocial attachment to pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to examine whether maternal serum screening (MSS) is associated with lower maternal attachment to pregnancy.


METHODS
One hundred one pregnant women identified as at risk for fetal anomaly due to advanced maternal age completed a survey targeting their decisions regarding prenatal testing and their psychological attachment to their pregnancy. Of these women, 38 opted for no prenatal testing, 32 underwent MSS, and 31 had amniocentesis in their current pregnancy.


RESULTS
The results indicate that, throughout their pregnancy, the women who underwent MSS reported lower bonding levels as compared with those who chose either amniocentesis or no testing procedures.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that MSS may disrupt the developmental trajectory of the maternal-fetal bond even after favorable results are known. This may be due in part to the fact that the probabilistic nature of MSS results creates feelings of confusion rather than reassurance for many women following receipt of favorable results.
Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan, 9 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. karen.lawson@usask.ca
Karen L
KL
Lawson
Shelley I
SI
Turriff-Jonasson
D000328:Adult; D000649:Amniocentesis; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000196:embryology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D009769:Object Attachment; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D012917:Social Adjustment