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Why do women choose or decline maternal serum screening?
1Division of Community Health and Humanities, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's NL.
Objective:
In Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), maternal serum screening (MSS) is offered during the second trimester of pregnancy to detect fetuses with an increased risk for a birth defect. A recent study of MSS found low uptake (22%) in the province. We surveyed postpartum women in NL to (1) determine where women learn about MSS, (2) understand women's reasons for having or refusing MSS, and (3) describe women's process of decision-making about MSS.
Methods:
We surveyed postpartum women throughout NL to learn where women found out about MSS, whether or not they had MSS and why, and how they made their decision about MSS.
Results:
Almost one fifth of mothers were unaware of MSS. Approximately one third (34.6%) of women who had heard of MSS had undergone screening in their most recent pregnancy. Common reasons for having MSS were a desire to undergo all available testing and wanting to know about the health of the baby. Common reasons for not undergoing MSS were opposition to terminating the pregnancy and feeling that the results would not be definitive.
Conclusion:
A majority of pregnant women in NL do not want MSS. Women's personal values influence their MSS decisions and account for the low utilization rates in the province.
