Mothers' knowledge of screening for trisomy 21 in 1999:: a survey in Paris maternity units

Objective: To assess mothers' knowledge of screening tests for trisomy 21. Study Design: Interview of all women who had recently delivered a healthy child and were present in 15 Paris maternity units during one of the two non-consecutive days in June 1999 (N = 734). Results: Two-third said that they had access to a nuchal translucency measurement (NTM) and to maternal serum screening (MSS), and 16% to amniocentesis. Thirty-eight percent of the women who had NTMs and 69% of those who had serum screening said that they had been informed of the need for amniocentesis if the results were abnormal. Among the women who had amniocentesis, 20% did not know the risk of miscarriage and 41% had not been informed about the possibility of terminating the pregnancy if trisomy 21 was diagnosed. Conclusions: Mothers' knowledge about the screening tests for trisomy 21 remains fragmentary. Providing comprehensive information about all these tests should be considered in early pregnancy so that women can make informed choices. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.