Women's responses to ultrasound examinations during routine screens in an obstetric clinic

The primary purpose of this research was to evaluate the impact of prenatal ultrasound consultation on maternal-fetal attachment, knowledge of fetal behavior, and development and reduction of anxiety in pregnant women scheduled for routine ultrasound screens. A standard depression screen was also used to evaluate depression levels of women undergoing these screens in the sonography clinic.

To evaluate the impact of an ultrasound consultation, the following were undertaken: (1) a preliminary observational study of routine screens in the sonography clinic was performed; (2) an ultrasound consultation manual was developed and established as reliable; and (3) women undergoing evaluations between 16 and 26 weeks' gestational age were randomly assigned to a standard care group (n = 24; the standard clinical ultrasound screen) or an ultrasound consultation group (n = 28; the ultrasound consultation was done, including the standard screen with extended consultation on fetal development, maternal and familial responses, and maternal-fetal interaction).

The ultrasound consultation group had a significant positive change in maternal-fetal attachment scores, lower state anxiety scores, and more favorable responses to the sonographic examination (P .05). Women's depression scores did not differ between the ultrasound consultation and standard care groups and were similar to maternal prenatal depression levels in other studies.

Ultrasound consultation was responsible for increasing maternal-fetal attachment and reducing maternal anxiety. It may be an important component of more comprehensive prevention/intervention strategies. The implications for ultrasound consultation in clinical research and practice are discussed.