Pregnant Women’s Attitudes Toward Amniocentesis Before Receiving Down Syndrome Screening Results

Brajenović-Milić, Bojana; Babić, Ivana; Ristić, Smiljana; Vraneković, Jadranka; Brumini, Gordana; Kapović, Miljenko

doi:10.1016/j.whi.2007.10.003

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Volume 18, Issue 2 , Pages 79-84, March 2008

Pregnant Women’s Attitudes Toward Amniocentesis Before Receiving Down Syndrome Screening Results

Bojana Brajenović-Milić
- Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
- Bojana Brajenović-Milić, PhD, is a full Professor in the Department of Biology and Medical Genetics at the University of Rijeka School of Medicine. She is working in the field of prenatal diagnostics. She is the Coordinator of the scientific project named “Screening for Down syndrome” supported by a grant (No. 062-0000000-1349) from the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, Zagreb, Croatia.
- Correspondence to: Professor Bojana Brajenović-Milić, Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Braće Branchetta 22 51000 Rijeka, Croatia. Phone: 385-51-651 128; fax: 385-51-678 896.
Ivana Babić
- Department of Medical Informatics, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
- Ivana Babić, MD, is a research fellow in the Department of Biology and Medical Genetics at the University of Rijeka School of Medicine. She is Biomedicine Doctoral Candidate and currently serves in the project “Screening for Down syndrome.”
Smiljana Ristić
- Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
- Smiljana Ristić, PhD, is an associate Professor in the Department of Biology and Medical Genetics at the University of Rijeka School of Medicine. She is working in the field of medical genetics and participates in the project “Screening for Down syndrome.”
Jadranka Vraneković
- Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
- Jadranka Vraneković, MS, is a senior assistant in the Department of Biology and Medical Genetics at the University of Rijeka School of Medicine. She is Biomedicine Doctoral Candidate and participates in the project “Screening for Down syndrome.”
Gordana Brumini
- Department of Medical Informatics, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
- Gordana Brumini, PhD, is a senior assistant in the Department of Medical Informatics at the University of Rijeka School of Medicine. She is working in the field of biostatistics.
Miljenko Kapović
- Department of Biology and Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
- Miljenko Kapović, PhD, is a full Professor and the head of the Department of Biology and Medical Genetics at the University of Rijeka School of Medicine. He is working in the field of medical genetics.

Received 2 May 2007; received in revised form 5 October 2007; accepted 5 October 2007. published online 07 January 2008.

Objectives

We sought to evaluate pregnant women’s knowledge about features of second-trimester screening for Down syndrome and to assess whether knowledge and educational level influence their attitude toward amniocentesis before receiving test results.

Methods

Pregnant Caucasian women (n = 300) <35 years old with no personal or family history of Down syndrome were surveyed. Women were randomized to 2 groups. One group of women (n = 150) were surveyed by questionnaire before consultation with specially trained midwives; the other group of women (n = 150) were surveyed after consultation. The questionnaire consisted of 3 sections: 1) participants’ demographic data, 2) knowledge about prenatal screening for Down syndrome, and 3) readiness to undergo amniocentesis if there was an increased risk of Down syndrome.

Results

Women surveyed after consultation had greater total knowledge scores than those surveyed before consultation (p < .001). A statistically significant difference in knowledge scores in relation to educational levels was observed only in women who were surveyed before consultation (p = .007). Significantly more women were prepared to accept amniocentesis in the group surveyed after consultation (74%) than before consultation (53%; p < .001).

Conclusion

Knowledge gained during a prescreening consultation influenced pregnant women’s attitudes toward further diagnostic investigation. A smaller proportion of women who were indecisive was observed in the group surveyed after prescreening consultation. Indecisiveness was not affected by poor knowledge about screening, but rather by difficulty in knowing how they will feel and what they will do if their screening result is positive.