Does offering prenatal screening influence pregnant women's attitudes regarding prenatal testing?
OBJECTIVE
This study aims to find out whether offering prenatal screening for Down syndrome and neural tube defects influences pregnant women's attitudes toward having a screening test.


METHODS
Women were randomised into a group that was offered prenatal screening and a group that was not offered screening (controls). Both groups completed questionnaires before screening was offered, after the offer (not the control group), and in the last trimester of pregnancy.


RESULTS
Women with a neutral attitude at baseline who accepted the screening test had a more positive attitude, decliners became more negative and the attitude of the control group did not change.


CONCLUSIONS
Offering prenatal screening triggers a change in some pregnant women's attitude regarding prenatal testing. This instability of women's attitudes may pose a problem for determining whether some women made an informed choice.
Kleinveld
Johanna H
JH
Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, Department of Public and Occupational Health, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
van den Berg
Matthijs
M
van Eijk
Jacques T M
JT
van Vugt
John M G
JM
van der Wal
Gerrit
G
Timmermans
Daniëlle R M
DR
D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D005820:Genetic Testing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D012107:Research Design; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome