Anxiety scores before and after prenatal testing for congenital anomalies

Abstract

Objective: Prenatal diagnosis has psychological effects on the pregnant woman. We studied the state of anxiety levels in 332 pregnant women presenting between the 12th and 20th week of gestation before and after prenatal examination with negative and positive prenatal findings. Results: Prenatal examination produced a positive finding in 37 cases (11.1%). Both before and after prenatal examination pregnant women with a positive finding showed significantly higher anxiety-scales when compared to women with a negative result. After the examination state-anxiety levels were significantly reduced with a negative prenatal scan, whereas anxiety levels remained constant with a positive result. Conclusions: Prenatal testing for fetal anomalies presents an anxiety-inducing situation for the parents-to-be. If the results are negative, anxiety is reduced. Pregnant women who are confronted with a positive malformation scan show unchanged levels of anxiety after the examination.