Maternal-fetal attachment and prenatal diagnosis of heart disease.

OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that there are differences in the level of maternal-fetal attachment before and after fetal echocardiography in the presence or absence of cardiac abnormalities. STUDY DESIGN Cohort study in which the mothers responded to a validated Maternal-Fetal Attachment Scale. The study compared a group of pregnant women with diagnosis of fetal heart disease (FHD) with a group without this diagnosis ("no fetal heart disease" - NFHD). RESULTS 197 pregnant women were included, 96 FHD and 101 NFHD. Maternal-fetal attachment at the initial and final periods showed no significant baseline differences between groups (p=0.081). At the final period, migration from medium to high level of attachment was significantly higher in FHD (p=0.017). Transition from medium to high levels comparing the initial and final periods was more pronounced in FHD (p=0.009). CONCLUSION Diagnosis of fetal heart disease increases the level of maternal-fetal attachment.