Premium
Prenatal diagnosis for women aged 37 years and over: to have or not to have
Author(s) -
Halliday Jane L.,
Warren Rosemary,
McDonald Geraldine,
Liamputtong Rice Pranee,
Bell Robin J.,
Watson Lyndsey F.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
prenatal diagnosis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.956
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1097-0223
pISSN - 0197-3851
DOI - 10.1002/pd.153
Subject(s) - amniocentesis , medicine , abortion , prenatal diagnosis , gestation , pregnancy , prenatal screening , test (biology) , obstetrics , prenatal care , demography , gynecology , fetus , environmental health , population , paleontology , genetics , sociology , biology
Forty percent of pregnant women aged 37 years and over do not have prenatal diagnosis despite being eligible for a free test. The present study aimed to determine how often, and which, untested women were making a choice about this, how many declined an offer and why. A questionnaire was given to untested women, aged 37 years and over, at no less than 24 weeks gestation. A total of 375 (81.5%) women declined, 72 (16%) were not offered a test and 13 presented too late antenatally. There was a three‐fold increased likelihood (OR 3.10 95% CI 1.44, 6.65) of no offer for urban non‐English speaking background women, compared with the reference group (metropolitan, English speaking). Unpartnered women were also significantly less likely to receive an offer (OR 3.18, 95% CI 1.19, 8.46). Risk to the baby was the main reason for declining. When offered non‐invasive prenatal screening, most decliners of prenatal diagnosis accepted, even those who declined because they were opposed to abortion. We estimate that overall 33% of older pregnant women were being offered and declining amniocentesis and/or chorion villus sampling (CVS). Only 6% were not offered a test, but this small proportion is over‐represented by minority groups who must be given equal opportunity to make this choice. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.