Prenatal diagnoses of sex chromosome conditions

doi:10.1136/bmj.322.7284.441

BMJ 2001;322:441-442 ( 24 February )

Editorials

Prenatal diagnoses of sex chromosome conditions

Parents need more than just accurate information

Papers p 463

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Women who receive a prenatal diagnosis of a chromosome abnormality remember the circumstances precisely. Years later theyrecall the exact words used to deliver the news, and many regretthe manner in which they were told.¹ They read between thelines messages that their fetus is no longer worthy of life andthat their feelings about the pregnancy are not important. A testresult showing that a fetus has a chromosomal difference leaveswomen and their partners with a permanent and life altering decisionwhether or not to continue the pregnancy. What do women and theirpartners need to make a decision that they can accept for therest of their lives? How can healthcare providers best help them?A paper in this week's journal represents a first attempt at understandingthis process (p 463),² with disturbingresults.

Prenatal testing for chromosomal conditions has been offered in industrialised nations . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

(2001). Telling Future Parents About Sex Chromosome Abnormalities. JWatch Psychiatry 2001: 17-17 [Full text]
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