A cross-country comparison of pregnant women's decision-making and perspectives when opting for non-invasive prenatal testing in the Netherlands and Belgium

Background: The Netherlands and Belgium have been among the first countries to offer non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) as a first-tier screening test. Despite similarities, differences exist in counseling modalities and test uptake. This study explored decision-making and perspectives of pregnant women who opted for NIPT in both countries. Methods: A questionnaire study was performed among pregnant women in the Netherlands (NL) (n = 587) and Belgium (BE) (n = 444) opting for NIPT, including measures on informed choice, personal and societal perspectives on trisomy 21, 18 and 13 and pregnanc... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Lannoo, Lore
van der Meij, Karuna R M
Bekker, Mireille N
De Catte, Luc
Deckers, Sarah
Devriendt, Koenraad
Roggen, Nele
Galjaard, Robert-Jan H
Gitsels-van der Wal, Janneke
Macville, Merryn V E
Martin, Linda
Sistermans, Erik A
Van Calsteren, Kristel
Van Keirsbilck, Joachim
Crombag, Neeltje
Henneman, Lidewij
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2023
Schlagwörter: Belgium / Child / Down Syndrome/diagnosis / Female / Humans / Netherlands / Pregnancy / Pregnant Women / Prenatal Diagnosis/psychology / Trisomy 18 Syndrome/diagnosis / Journal Article
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-27383085
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/451126

Background: The Netherlands and Belgium have been among the first countries to offer non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) as a first-tier screening test. Despite similarities, differences exist in counseling modalities and test uptake. This study explored decision-making and perspectives of pregnant women who opted for NIPT in both countries. Methods: A questionnaire study was performed among pregnant women in the Netherlands (NL) (n = 587) and Belgium (BE) (n = 444) opting for NIPT, including measures on informed choice, personal and societal perspectives on trisomy 21, 18 and 13 and pregnancy termination. Results: Differences between Dutch and Belgian women were shown in the level of informed choice (NL: 83% vs. BE: 59%, p < 0.001), intention to terminate the pregnancy in case of confirmed trisomy 21 (NL: 51% vs. BE: 62%, p = 0.003) and trisomy 13/18 (NL: 80% vs. BE: 73%, p = 0.020). More Belgian women considered trisomy 21 a severe condition (NL: 64% vs. BE: 81%, p < 0.001). Belgian women more frequently indicated that they believed parents are judged for having a child with trisomy 21 (BE: 42% vs. NL: 16%, p < 0.001) and were less positive about quality of care and support for children with trisomy 21 (BE: 23% vs. NL: 62%, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Differences in women's decision-making regarding NIPT and the conditions screened for may be influenced by counseling aspects and country-specific societal and cultural contexts.