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A review of the literature about parents' experiences with amniocentesis is given in the first part of this paper. In the second part the results of a follow-up study in Belgium are presented.Three groups of women who had amniocentesis performed because of advanced maternal age, a previous child with Down syndrome or a previous child with neural tube defect, respectively, were interviewed at home about their experiences. Anxiety feelings were different between groups but also showed considerable variation within each group. The overall psychological evaluation of the procedure was positive, so that the majority of the women would opt for amniocentesis in a subsequent pregnancy and would recommend it to others. Later follow-up contact by mailed questionnaire revealed that almost all women elected for their subsequent pregnancies to be monitored by amniocentesis.

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Sixty‐six percent of the at‐risk persons and 74% of the partners in a large survey in Belgium have the intention of making use of predictive testing for Huntington's disease. One third of them, however, have expressed the intention of postponing the final decision for various reasons. The intention to be tested is not at all related to sociodemographic characteristics. A thorough exploration of the reasons for being in favour of or against taking the test reveals that the motivation inspiring this very personal decision is very complex. In the group of at‐risk persons, less than half of the variation in the intention to be tested is explained by the role of a series of specific reasons as predictor variables in a regression analysis. The proportion of explained variation is slightly higher in the group of partners. ‘To have certainty about my own future’ and ‘to make arrangements for the future’ play a major part in the decision of the total group. ‘Making decisions concerning children’ and to a larger extent ‘informing children about their risk status’ are important factors in deciding in favour of the test.

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