WOMENS OPINIONS AND THE IMPLICATIONS OF FIRST-TRIMESTER VERSUS 2ND-TRIMESTER SCREENING FOR FETAL DOWNS-SYNDROME

Two groups of pregnant women were questioned regarding their opinions on serum screening for Down's syndrome in the first trimester of pregn ancy. One group comprised 83 women attending our antenatal clinic who were questioned at the time of the existing second-trimester screening test. Seventy-six per cent of those who participated in the second-tr imester screening programme would have preferred the test to have been in the first trimester, mainly because of the easier termination of p regnancy and/or the earlier reassurance provided. The remaining 24 per cent could see no advantage in the earlier time frame. Of the 49 wome n who had declined second-trimester screening, only two would have par ticipated in screening had it been in the first trimester. The other g roup comprised those women attending our antenatal diagnosis clinic wh o were considering chorionic villus sampling (CVS). Forty-four per cen t of these women would have allowed serum screening in the first trime ster to influence their decision as to whether to undergo definitive p renatal diagnostic testing. In general, those women who made use of se cond-trimester serum screening would also do so in the first trimester . Those who declined the existing screening programme would also decli ne first-trimester screening. Many women currently deciding to undergo CVS would allow a first-trimester screening test to influence their d ecision. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.