Noninvasive prenatal diagnosis: pregnant women's interest and expected uptake.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate pregnant women's level of future interest in noninvasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) and what factors might affect expected uptake of this testing.


METHODS
Written questionnaires were administered to women in their third trimester.


RESULTS
One hundred fourteen women returned the questionnaire (80.9% response rate). Of these, 71.9% reported interest in NIPD, 22.7% were ambivalent, and 5.4% were uninterested. Safety of the fetus was the single most important factor in 75% of women's decisions. Factors associated with increased interest in NIPD included: older age (p = 0.036), higher education (p = 0.013), Caucasian or Asian ethnicity (p = 0.011), and higher likelihood to terminate an affected pregnancy (p = 0.002). Nearly 20% of women reported that they would do whatever their doctor recommended regarding NIPD, and 94.4% of women wished to meet with a genetic counselor at some point to discuss NIPD.


CONCLUSIONS
The majority of pregnant women report hypothetical interest in NIPD, primarily because of increased safety for the fetus, although a significant minority are uninterested or ambivalent. Discussions with healthcare providers regarding NIPD, and their recommendations, are likely to be an important factor in women's decisions about this testing. As such, adequate discussion of the implications of prenatal diagnostic testing will be critical.
Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Reana
R
Tischler
Louanne
L
Hudgins
Yair J
YJ
Blumenfeld
Henry T
HT
Greely
Kelly E
KE
Ormond
D000028:Abortion, Induced; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D025063:Chromosome Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005820:Genetic Testing / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D012449:Safety; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires