Perception of information, expectations and experiences among women and their partners attending a second‐trimester routine ultrasound scan

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate pre-scan counselling and the provision of information to parents-to-be, and their expectations before and experiences of a second trimester routine ultrasound scan. In the study, 303 pregnant women and their partners were asked to complete questionnaires before and after the scan. The main purposes of the examination were: dating, ascertaining fetal viability, and detection of multiple gestations. Although scanning for fetal malformations was not the purpose of the examination, 89% of the women and 84% of the men were concerned about this aspect. Even though it has been postulated that more women would not attend the examination if they knew it was for prenatal diagnostic purposes, the results of this study did not support this assumption. Only 57% of the women had received information at their antenatal care centers. A total of 88% of the women and 85% of the men said that they obtained sufficient information at the scan. Anxiety was low before the scan, both among women and men, with the exception of those women who had experienced problems at earlier scans. Positive feelings dominated during the scan and these feelings remained when experiences of the scan were reported by the parents-to-be after they had gone home. It is concluded that a routine second-trimester scan is a positive event for the majority of the participating women and men. In spite of this, we believe that certain measures should be taken to improve pre-scan counselling and the provision of adequate information.

Routine ultrasound examination during pregnancy: a world of possibilities

“…It is well known that women want to see their baby by ultrasound (Eurenius et al, 1997;Stephens et al, 2000;Gudex et al, 2006) but the meaning of this was clarified in the present study. Here the ultrasound scan represented an opportunity to get to know the baby better and to get an idea of what kind of personality the baby might have.…”

“…One of the most common expectations of an ultrasound scan is to find out whether the baby is healthy (Eurenius et al, 1997;Stephens et al, 2000;Larsen et al, 2001;Ekelin et al, 2004;Lalor & Begley, 2006;Gudex et al, 2006), suggesting that women perceive it to be the baby that is being tested. The women in this study acknowledged the scan as a test of their baby, which suggests that the test offered possibilities in itself.…”

“…Other reasons are finding out whether the baby has malformations or whether a multiple pregnancy exists (Larsen et al, 2000;Gudex et al, 2006;Lalor & Devane, 2007). Earlier studies show that women were not always aware that the scan might detect malformations, or they expected the scan to show that they carried a healthy baby (Crang-Svalenius et al, 1996;Eurenius et al, 1997). Later studies show that women have more realistic expectations of the purpose of the scan and what it might reveal (Larsen et al, 2000;Gudex et al, 2006;Lalor & Devane, 2007).…”

“…The scan is important to pregnant women as it results in feelings of satisfaction, comfort and joy when findings are normal (Crang-Svalenius et al, 1996;Eurenius et al, 1997;Stephens et al, 2000). Dykes and Stjernqvist (2001) have shown the impact of ultrasound on women´s thoughts about their unborn child and how it increased their awareness of them carrying a child.…”

Women's response to fetal choroid plexus cysts detected by prenatal ultrasound

“…30 Routine prenatal ultrasound is a positively anticipated event for families who may not fully comprehend that it is a tool used to screen for abnormalities. They do not expect to hear uncertain or bad news, [31][32][33][34] or to be confronted with dilemmas about invasive diagnostic procedures. The general impression given to us by these participants is that regardless of how technically accurate or reassuring the provider, parents have difficulty focusing on information once a 'condition' involving the fetal brain has been mentioned.…”