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  • Title: [From diagnosis to decision--decision processes of women in the context of prenatal diagnosis].
    Author: Baldus M.
    Journal: Prax Kinderpsychol Kinderpsychiatr; 2001; 50(9-10):736-52. PubMed ID: 11810966.
    Abstract:
    Prenatal diagnosis is a growth industry. The constant introduction of new prenatal tests poses great challenges to prospective parents. In Germany, guidelines for prenatal care include an early nuchal-translucency-sonogram as a routine screening for down syndrome. Developer of this screening predict a 90% discovery rate. This rate can be achieved through the combination of early maternal serum examinations, computer assisted risk calculation and the nuchal-translucency measurement. The extensive use of diverse new technologies is driven by two forces; first, the parents' fear of giving birth to a child with a disability, and second, the offensive marketing strategies by the test-making industry. The information that these tests can yield is vast, yet parents' range of choices in response to these test results remain very limited. After a battery of diagnostic tests, parents confronted with the diagnosis of down syndrome can choose only between continuing or terminating the pregnancy. In the future, more and more women and their partners will be confronted with such a difficult decision. Adequate professional counseling is needed to help parents cope with the critical life event of being told a positive test result. Solutions have to be developed on an individual basis and need to be grounded on the parents' needs. Informing parents of a positive diagnosis can be a challenging moment in professional life. The professional needs to act with sensitivity and competence. The informations he or she provides have to been well balanced. It is necessary to develop quality assurance standards for counseling, diagnosis and crisis intervention.
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