TY - JOUR
T1 - Perceived risk of prenatal diagnostic procedure-related miscarriage and Down syndrome among pregnant women
AU - Caughey, Aaron B.
AU - Washington, A. Eugene
AU - Kuppermann, Miriam
N1 - Funding Information:
Dr Caughey is a Women’s Reproductive Health Research Scholar sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Grant HD01262. This research was also sponsored by grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (U01 HS07373) and the National Center for Human Genome Research (R01 HG012355).
PY - 2008/3
Y1 - 2008/3
N2 - Objective: The objective of the study was to identify correlates of perceived risk of carrying a Down syndrome-affected fetus or experiencing a procedure-related miscarriage among a diverse group of pregnant women. Study Design: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1081 English-, Spanish-, or Chinese-speaking women receiving prenatal care in the San Francisco Bay area. Perceived risk of procedure-related miscarriage or carrying a Down syndrome-affected fetus was assessed using a linear rating scale from 0 (no risk) to 1 (high risk). Bivariate and multivariable analyses were used to explore associations between maternal characteristics including age, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status and perceived risks of carrying a Down syndrome-affected fetus or experiencing a procedure-related miscarriage. Results: Women aged 35 years old or older had a higher perceived risk of Down syndrome than younger women (0.28 vs 0.22 on a scale from 0 to 1, P < .001) but a lower perceived risk of a procedure-related miscarriage (0.31 vs 0.36, P = .004). In multivariable linear regression analysis among women younger than age 35 years, the perceived risk of carrying a Down syndrome-affected fetus was higher in women who had not attended college (+0.06, P = .019) or had poor self-perceived health status (+0.08, P = .045). Latinas (+0.11, P = .008), women with an annual income less than $35,000 (+0.09, P = .003), and those who had difficulty conceiving (+0.09, P = .026) had higher perceived procedure-related miscarriage risk. Among women aged 35 years or older, perceived risk of carrying a Down syndrome-affected fetus was associated with the inclination to undergo prenatal diagnosis. Conclusion: Women's perceived risks of carrying a Down syndrome-affected fetus or having a procedure-related miscarriage are associated with numerous characteristics that have not been shown to be associated with the actual risks of these events. These perceived risks are associated with prenatal diagnostic test inclination. Understanding patients' risk perceptions and effectively communicating risk is critical to helping patients make informed decisions regarding use of invasive prenatal testing.
AB - Objective: The objective of the study was to identify correlates of perceived risk of carrying a Down syndrome-affected fetus or experiencing a procedure-related miscarriage among a diverse group of pregnant women. Study Design: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1081 English-, Spanish-, or Chinese-speaking women receiving prenatal care in the San Francisco Bay area. Perceived risk of procedure-related miscarriage or carrying a Down syndrome-affected fetus was assessed using a linear rating scale from 0 (no risk) to 1 (high risk). Bivariate and multivariable analyses were used to explore associations between maternal characteristics including age, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status and perceived risks of carrying a Down syndrome-affected fetus or experiencing a procedure-related miscarriage. Results: Women aged 35 years old or older had a higher perceived risk of Down syndrome than younger women (0.28 vs 0.22 on a scale from 0 to 1, P < .001) but a lower perceived risk of a procedure-related miscarriage (0.31 vs 0.36, P = .004). In multivariable linear regression analysis among women younger than age 35 years, the perceived risk of carrying a Down syndrome-affected fetus was higher in women who had not attended college (+0.06, P = .019) or had poor self-perceived health status (+0.08, P = .045). Latinas (+0.11, P = .008), women with an annual income less than $35,000 (+0.09, P = .003), and those who had difficulty conceiving (+0.09, P = .026) had higher perceived procedure-related miscarriage risk. Among women aged 35 years or older, perceived risk of carrying a Down syndrome-affected fetus was associated with the inclination to undergo prenatal diagnosis. Conclusion: Women's perceived risks of carrying a Down syndrome-affected fetus or having a procedure-related miscarriage are associated with numerous characteristics that have not been shown to be associated with the actual risks of these events. These perceived risks are associated with prenatal diagnostic test inclination. Understanding patients' risk perceptions and effectively communicating risk is critical to helping patients make informed decisions regarding use of invasive prenatal testing.
KW - Down syndrome
KW - perceived risk
KW - pregnancy
KW - procedure-related miscarriage
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ajog.2007.09.045
DO - 10.1016/j.ajog.2007.09.045
M3 - Article
C2 - 18177830
AN - SCOPUS:39649101300
SN - 0002-9378
VL - 198
SP - 333.e1-333.e8
JO - American journal of obstetrics and gynecology
JF - American journal of obstetrics and gynecology
IS - 3
ER -