Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c4f8m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T00:59:58.900Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Prenatal diagnosis of fetal abnormality: the decision to terminate the pregnancy and the psychological consequences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2002

Helen Statham
Affiliation:
Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge

Abstract

In the absence of any prenatal screening, some two percent of babies will be born with a structural anomaly; a further 1 in 700–800 will be born with Down's syndrome, with similar numbers having other chromosomal and serious genetic disorders. The prevalence of abnormalities in early pregnancy is higher because abnormal fetuses are more likely to miscarry than normal ones. A small number of women enter pregnancy at increased risk of conceiving a baby with an abnormality. They may have a maternal condition such as diabetes, need medication for conditions such as epilepsy, or have a family history of a genetic disorder (www3.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Omim/searchomim.html). Most abnormalities, however, occur in healthy, low-risk women.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)