Will the introduction of non-invasive prenatal testing for Down's syndrome undermine informed choice?

Will the introduction of non-invasive prenatal diagnostic testing erode informed choices? An experimental study of health care professionals.

OBJECTIVE Informed choice is a fundamental concept within prenatal care. The present study assessed the extent to which the introduction of non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) of Down's syndrome may undermine the process of making informed choices to undergo prenatal testing or screening for Down's syndrome by altering the quality and quantity of pre-test counselling. METHODS 231 obstetric...

Non-invasive prenatal testing.

BACKGROUND Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), also known as cell-free DNA testing and non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS), is an important addition to the range of screening tests for fetal chromosomal abnormalities. For trisomy 21 in particular, NIPT is superior to other screening modalities. However, NIPT has limitations and complexities that requesting clinicians and their patients sho...

A qualitative study looking at informed choice in the context of non‐invasive prenatal testing for aneuploidy

OBJECTIVE To explore women's attitudes towards non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) and determine factors influencing their decisions around uptake of NIPT. METHOD We conducted qualitative interviews to assess knowledge, attitude and deliberation amongst women offered NIPT in a public health service. In total, 45 women took part in telephone interviews (79% participation rate). RESULTS Most...

Non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of Down's syndrome.

Down syndrome (trisomy 21), which has an incidence of 1 in 800 live births, is considered to be the most frequent etiology of mental retardation and it is the predominant reason for women seeking prenatal diagnosis [Driscoll & Gross, 2009]. Trisomy 21 is used as a benchmark because it is the most common aneuploidy compatible with life and is associated with mental retardation and serious congen...

Non Invasive Prenatal Diagnosis of Down Syndrome