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.