DECISIONS REGARDING PREGNANCY TERMINATION AMONG BEDOUIN COUPLES REFERRED TO 3RD LEVEL ULTRASOUND CLINIC

Objective: To identify predictors of parental decision whether to term inate a pregnancy after a diagnosis of a major congenital malformation in a traditional society. Study design: The Bedouin Arabs in southern Israel are a traditional society, with a high incidence of congenital disorders. Data were abstracted from medical records of 295 families who sought counseling in the third level ultrasound clinic between 199 0 and 1996. Statistical analysis included univariate and multiple logi stic regression. Results. The diagnosis of a major malformation was co nfirmed in 64% of the cases. Pregnancy termination was a realistic opt ion for 125 women (66.5%) as the rest were too advanced in their pregn ancy. Such a delay was less common in cases of multiple malformations than in a single malformation (19.2% versus 39.0% respectively, P<0.01 ). Forty-nine of the 125 women (39.2%) chose to terminate their pregna ncy. The only significant predictors of termination decision were earl ier gestational week at diagnosis and previous uncompleted pregnancies . Conclusions: These findings indicate the importance of promoting ear ly genetic counseling and early prenatal diagnosis, for any population where abortions are not readily acceptable. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.