TOWARDS INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT PRENATAL TESTING - A REVIEW

There are now several well-documented psychological problems associate d with prenatal testing programmes. These include poor understanding o f tests undergone or declined, anxiety following false positive result s, and false reassurance in those receiving negative test results. The re is, as yet, little evidence concerning how to provide services to c ircumvent these. The focus of this review is upon just one of these pr oblems: how best to inform women about prenatal testing and their repr oductive options following the diagnosis of a fetal abnormality. Possi ble methods of improving informed decision-making either about whether to undergo testing or whether to terminate an affected pregnancy are described drawing upon research from antenatal and other health care a reas. Future challenges for clinical practice and research in this are a concern the range of conditions and predispositions for which prenat al testing with the option of termination should be offered.