Non-specific psychological distress in women undergoing noninvasive prenatal testing because of advanced maternal age

The objective of our study was to describe our clinical experience in providing noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for fetal aneuploidy to pregnant women, highlighting the degree of non-specific psychological distress.

Data were collected from Japanese women who were offered and underwent NIPT after genetic counseling and control pregnant women who did not undergo NIPT as part of the Japan Environment and Children's Study Control A planning. The degree of mental distress was assessed using the Kessler 6 (K6) screening scale with a score of ≥10 indicating depression or anxiety disorder.

Among the 505 women who underwent NIPT because of advanced maternal age, 9.1% had a K6 score of ≥10. Compared with matched controls (n = 1010) adjusted for maternal age and gestational age, the NIPT group showed a trend toward higher K6 scores (odds ratio 1.44, 95% confidence interval 0.97-2.13, P = 0.07). Higher K6 scores were associated with women whose husbands were the primary decision makers during NIPT counseling (P = 0.06).

Women electing NIPT tend to have higher scores of depression/anxiety, and those with higher depression scores tended to defer the decision to their husbands.