Premium
Reasons for women's non‐uptake of amniocentesis
Author(s) -
JulianReynier Claire,
MacquartMoulin Geneviève,
Moatti JeanPaul,
Aurran Yvette,
Chabal Françoise,
Aymé Ségolène
Publication year - 1994
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.1970140915
Subject(s) - amniocentesis , medicine , prenatal screening , welfare , abortion , obstetrics , prenatal diagnosis , advanced maternal age , gynecology , pregnancy , family medicine , demography , fetus , political science , sociology , genetics , law , biology
Abstract More than 10 years after a chromosomal anomaly screening programme was set up in France for pregnant women of advanced age, amniocentesis is still a controversial issue. The reasons why eligible women did not utilize the test and whether or not the existence of social welfare coverage determined women's access to prenatal diagnosis were studied. A group of 291 women aged ⩾35 years who recently gave birth to normal liveborns was interviewed by telephone. Among those aged 38 years and over, who automatically qualified for social security coverage, 75 per cent had undergone amniocentesis as opposed to 23 per cent in the 35 to 37‐year‐old non‐covered age group who did not qualify for social security coverage. In both groups, access to amniocentesis was found to depend on the physicians', women's and male partners' attitudes towards prenatal diagnosis and abortion. Among the younger group, the uptake depended mainly on socio‐economic factors. Institutional policies should ensure greater equality of access while allowing for individual preferences.