Preferences and expectations among Polish women regarding prenatal screening

Patients' attitudes and expectations of prenatal screening for genetic abnormalities throughout pregnancy arerarely analyzed by researchers as emotions and fears are both important and challenging factors. Prenatal counselling hasnever been so difficult as we live in the era of detailed ultrasound scans, cell-free fetal DNA and detailed microarray testing.The aim of this study was to investigate Polish women's attitudes towards screening for chromosomal abnormalities andfetal defects.

The study was a prospective survey conducted among a population of Polish women. An electronicquestionnaire regarding prenatal diagnostics was distributed to a total number of 1072 female volunteers.

1044 patients (97.30%) stated that they were motivated to undergo prenatal diagnostics and would want to beinformed about fetal abnormalities. Over 90% of the respondents would want to be informed about serious defects witha high mortality rate (including trisomy 13 or 18). More than half the Polish women (54.83%) stated they were willing toconsider terminating pregnancy in the case of a severe abnormality.

Polish women expect prenatal screening. Almost all Polish women would want to be informed about bothgenetic and anatomical abnormalities and over half of them would consider terminating pregnancy in the case of a severeabnormality. Willingness to learn about a defect increased with average household income, and the statement of a will toterminate pregnancy depended mostly on maternal age and type of fetal abnormality.