Background Knowledge and Attitude of Pregnant Women towards Ultrasound Screening at 20-23 Weeks Gestation

Prenatal ultrasound screening in the second trimester is widely used in maternal health care. Prenatal diagnosis and prenatal screening is often exposed to several accusation, such as inducing unnecessary anxiety, carrying out a selection and forcing pregnant women into attending ultrasound screening. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge and the intention of pregnant women attending the second trimester ultrasound screening.

This was a prospective study. Women attending the 20 weeks anomaly scan were given an anonymous questionnaire to evaluate the background knowledge about the anomaly scan and their opinion about prenatal screening.

600 (96.7%) of 620 recruited women filled in the questionnaire completely. To the majority (>80%) of women it is important to exclude severe fetal anomalies and to secure normal fetal growth. The background knowledge of the women was good, but a clear supply of information and a detail counselling would improve the understanding, especially in the group of lower education. The majority of the women stated that the 20 weeks anomaly scan should be offered to every woman.

Prenatal ultrasound examination is not only essential from a medical point of view for example for important information regarding the status of the fetus, but also has a major impact as a positive psychological factor for pregnant women.