An interview study of pregnant women's attitudes to ultrasound scanning

404 pregnant women were interviewed, in the ante-natal clinics of two hospitals, concerning their attitudes to ultrasound scanning, which is routine at one of these hospitals, selective at the other. It was found at the hospital where scanning is selective, that women who had not been examined by ultrasound were less likely to regard a scan as an additional source of reassurance, and to approve of routine scanning, than were those who had yet to be scanned at the other hospital, or any of those who had experienced the procedure. A majority of the women interviewed were enthusiastic about the method, but an important source of dissatisfaction was failure of the operator to reveal and/or explain the foetal image.