Factors affecting women's preference for type of prenatal screening test for chromosomal anomalies

Spencer, Kevin; Aitken, David A.

doi:10.1002/uog.1768

Cited by 45 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…It could, for example, be argued that this screening innovation, which has the potential to become highly routinised, may serve to decisively consolidate the biomedical model of pregnancy, by foregrounding the possibility of fetal anomalies so early on in pregnancy. Others might argue that earlier, more accurate first trimester screening conveys advantages for women, particularly those who would wish to terminate an affected pregnancy (Spencer & Aitken, 2004). What does seem clear is that in the current UK policy climate, within which every woman must be offered the option of antenatal screening, innovative first trimester screening technologies firmly maintain the emphasis on the individualised risk model of pregnancy, whereby pregnant women themselves are enlisted in, and become responsible for 'their own government' (Harris, Connor, Bisits, & Higginbotham, 2004, p. 31).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women as moral pioneers? Experiences of first trimester antenatal screening

Williams

Sandall

Lewando-Hundt

et al. 2005

Social Science & Medicine

106

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The implementation of innovative medical technologies can raise unprecedented ethical, legal and social dilemmas. This is particularly so in the area of antenatal screening, which is dominated by the language of risk and probabilities. Second trimester serum screening for Down's syndrome and neural tube defects has a well-established place in antenatal care. Increasingly, first trimester screening with biochemical and ultrasound markers is being proposed as advance on this, yielding higher detection rates of Down's syndrome at an earlier gestational age. This article explores the experiences of 14 women offered innovative first trimester screening, which takes place within the context of a detailed ultrasound scan. The study is set within the UK, where recent policy changes mean that the offer of screening for fetal anomalies, particularly Down's syndrome, will become a routine part of antenatal care and offered to all pregnant women. This paper focuses on the significance of the scan in first trimester screening, and some of the potential dilemmas for women that can result from this. It then discusses the ways in which women made their decisions about screening, in particular, their work as 'moral pioneers'. We found that the part played by the ultrasound scan in first trimester screening, particularly in relation to the higher-quality images now being obtained, has the potential to introduce new and novel ethical dilemmas for pregnant women. Although concerns have been raised about pregnant women viewing ultrasound scans as benign, many of the women reported having thought carefully through their own moral beliefs and values prior to screening. It seems that whatever other implications they may have, first trimester screening technologies will continue the tradition of pregnant women acting as 'moral pioneers' in increasingly complex settings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women as moral pioneers? Experiences of first trimester antenatal screening

Williams

Sandall

Lewando-Hundt

et al. 2005

Social Science & Medicine

106

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…17,20,26,[28][29][30][31][32] We categorized maternal age at delivery or abortion into 3 groups (≤ 20 yr, 21-34 yr or ≥ 35 yr). 28 We linked all women to previous hospital admissions for delivery to determine maternal age at the time of first childbirth (≤ 20 yr, 21-34 yr or ≥ 35 yr).…”

Section: Other Covariatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…mending universal offer of prenatal screening, uptake varies by maternal preferences, [15][16][17][18][19][20] provider practice patterns [21][22][23][24][25] and maternal sociodemographic characteristics. [26][27][28][29][30][31][32] In light of the shifting and increasingly market-driven landscape of prenatal screening in Canada, 33 we examined the screening rates for publicly insured tests across health care regions in the province of Ontario.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Rates of prenatal screening across health care regions in Ontario, Canada: a retrospective cohort study

Hayeems

Campitelli

et al. 2015

CMAJ Open

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“…The advancements in biochemical markers and imaging technologies have enabled us to detect fetal chromosomal abnormalities in the early weeks of pregnancy [2][3][4] . Screening studies about Down Syndrome have demonstrated that the prior knowledge of pregnant women about the tests was important in decisionmaking about proceeding with the tests 5,6 . While incomplete or incorrect information lead the pregnant women to refuse the screening, and even diagnostic tests when necessary 7,8 , redundant information results in confusion and drawback during the implementation of the tests 9,10 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%