Paper

Consumerism in Prenatal Diagnosis? A Local Italian Study
C.V. Bellieni^a, M. Maffei^a, A. Brogna^a, A. Plantulli^a, E. Cervo^a, M. Reda^b, L. Signorini^b, G. Buonocore^a, F. Petraglia<sup>a

a</sup>Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Reproduction Medicine, and
^bDepartment of Psychology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

Address of Corresponding Author

Fetal Diagn Ther 2008;24:29-34 (DOI: 10.1159/000132402)

  Key Words

• Ultrasonography
• Amniocentesis
• Chorionic villus sampling

  Abstract

Aim: To assess the causes of excessive use of prenatal diagnosis. Material and Methods: 304 questionnaires were completed anonymously by puerperae in a Siena (Italy) hospital in May-August 2006. The questionnaires contained 24 questions about the women, examinations performed during pregnancy and the reasons for them. Results: The mean number of ultrasound examinations per woman was 6.5 ± 2.5. Forty-two percent of the women in our sample (29.3% of women under 35 and 68.9% of women over 35 years of age) reported that amniocentesis/CVS had been performed; the mean age of these women was 34.1 ± 4.5 years. Eighty-five percent of the women under 36 years of age who had amniocentesis declared that it was performed as a personal choice and 15% for the presence of risk factors. Among 131 women who performed amniocentesis, 32 performed it with a normal blood screening for Down syndrome (DS), and 76 declared to have performed no blood screening for DS. Only 45% of women stated that they thought age above 35 years was a risk factor for pregnancy, but most of them (75%) were aware that amniocentesis was performed to detect chromosomal anomalies. In 89% of the cases a source of information about prenatal testing was the woman's gynecologist. Conclusion: This study shows that the high use of prenatal examinations is often not justified by the presence of clinical risk factors and that both national health system and caregivers should find new strategies to inform women about the aims of prenatal tests, and promote a more serene approach to pregnancy. A broader study is needed to confirm these data.

Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Dr. Carlo Valerio Bellieni
U.O. Terapia Intensiva e Neonatologia, Dipartimento di Pediatria
Ostetricia e Medicina della Riproduzione, Policlinico 'Le Scotte', Viale Bracci 36
IT-53100 Siena (Italy)
Tel. +39 0577 586 518 or +39 0577 586 542, Fax +39 0577 586 182, E-Mail bellieni@iol.it

  Article Information

Received: January 29, 2007
Accepted after revision: February 14, 2007
Published online: May 27, 2008
Number of Print Pages : 6
Number of Figures : 0, Number of Tables : 2, Number of References : 38