Prenatal diagnosis tests and women's risk perception: a cross-sectional study

Area of Science:

• Maternal-Fetal Medicine
• Reproductive Health
• Medical Decision Making

Background:

• Prenatal diagnosis involves assessing risks for both the mother and fetus.
• Understanding patient perception of risk is crucial for informed decision-making in prenatal testing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how women's decisions on prenatal diagnostic tests are influenced by perceived risks.
• To analyze the impact of procedure-related risks versus Down syndrome (DS) risks on test selection.

Main Methods:

• Survey of 448 women with low-risk pregnancies.
• Assessed perceptions of miscarriage risk and Down syndrome (DS) risk relevance and acceptability.
• Utilized a 10-point rating scale for risk perception.

Main Results:

• Factors influencing non-invasive test use included age ≥35, private healthcare, high numerical relevance and low acceptability of DS risk, and high acceptability of miscarriage risk.
• Similar factors influenced invasive test use, with an exception for the numerical relevance of DS risk.
• Perceived risk acceptability was a stronger determinant than numerical relevance.

Conclusions:

• Risk acceptability significantly shapes women's choices in prenatal diagnostic testing.
• Decision-making for prenatal tests is complex, integrating numerical risk with personal acceptability.
• Future interventions should consider the psychological aspects of risk perception in prenatal care.