Anticipated and perceived pain from midtrimester amniocentesis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the anticipated and perceived pain and determine the factors contributing to pain perception in women undergoing midtrimester amniocentesis.


METHODS
A visual analog scale was used to quantify pain in this prospective study of 64 women undergoing amniocentesis in the same clinical setting. The analysis was done using the paired-samples t test, analysis of variance, the Kruskal-Wallis test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and Pearson correlation analysis.


RESULTS
The postprocedural pain scores were significantly less than the preprocedural pain scores (P<0.01). Parity, a previous amniocentesis, the indication for amniocentesis, and the previous loss of a child were factors contributing to pain scores. No correlations were found between pain score and maternal age, week of pregnancy at the time of the procedure, parity, or having lost a child.


CONCLUSIONS
The perceived pain was less than the anticipated pain, and the factors contributing to pain should be kept in mind when counseling patients undergoing midtrimester amniocentesis.
Karasahin
Emre
E
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey. dremrekarasahin@hotmail.com
Gungor
Sadettin
S
Goktolga
Umit
U
Keskin
Ugur
U
Gezginc
Kazim
K
Baser
Iskender
I
D000328:Adult; D000649:Amniocentesis / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005817:Genetic Counseling; D005820:Genetic Testing; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009339:Needles; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010465:Perception; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013696:Temperature