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Pregnancy & children
Antenatal Screening
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Making decisions about screening :
Thinking about screening and what it is for
Special reasons for wanting screening
Reasons for not having some or all screening
Discussing screening choices with your partner
Attitudes to disability and termination
Information for making decisions
Experiences of screening :
Nuchal translucency scan (low risk results)
Nuchal scan (being told something may be wrong)
Early dating scans
Blood test screening
18-20 week scan (low risk results)
18-20 week scan (being told something may be wrong)
Understanding screening test results
Having further tests and getting results :
Deciding whether to have further diagnostic tests
Having further tests and waiting for results
Getting diagnostic test results
Thoughts, discussions and info after diagnosis
Deciding to continue with the pregnancy :
Making the decision to continue with the pregnancy
What the rest of pregnancy and birth was like
Feelings about screening looking back
Deciding to end the pregnancy :
Making the decision to end the pregnancy
The experience of ending a pregnancy
Feelings and reflections afterwards
Views on screening & feelings in later pregnancies
When screening does not detect a condition :
Learning after birth that the baby has a condition
How it has affected parents' views about screening
Living with disabilities or a chronic condition :
Living with a child with a long term condition
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Antenatal Screening
Subject index
Clip
Pregnancy & children
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Antenatal Screening
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Ending an affected pregnancy
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Interview AN36
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The nuchal scan reassured them, but with hindsight they felt they did not really understand the nature of screening and risk information.
Nuchal scan in first pregnancy gave low risk result, but anomaly scan at 21 weeks detected abnormalities, confirmed as Edwards' syndrome by amniocentesis. Couple decided to end the pregnancy.
Pregnancy & children
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Antenatal Screening
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Ending an affected pregnancy
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Interview AN36
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She did not really appreciate that the 20-week scan looks for particular conditions, despite reading the leaflets.
Nuchal scan in first pregnancy gave low risk result, but anomaly scan at 21 weeks detected abnormalities, confirmed as Edwards' syndrome by amniocentesis. Couple decided to end the pregnancy.
Pregnancy & children
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Antenatal Screening
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Ending an affected pregnancy
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Interview AN36
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At the 20-week scan, the sonographer seemed bored. When he started to find problems she found it hard to grasp.
Nuchal scan in first pregnancy gave low risk result, but anomaly scan at 21 weeks detected abnormalities, confirmed as Edwards' syndrome by amniocentesis. Couple decided to end the pregnancy.
Pregnancy & children
>>
Antenatal Screening
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Ending an affected pregnancy
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Interview AN36
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Insensitive communication in her 20-week scan made her panic. She could not believe her baby had so many problems.
Nuchal scan in first pregnancy gave low risk result, but anomaly scan at 21 weeks detected abnormalities, confirmed as Edwards' syndrome by amniocentesis. Couple decided to end the pregnancy.
Pregnancy & children
>>
Antenatal Screening
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Ending an affected pregnancy
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Interview AN36
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Waiting for the amniocentesis results over a weekend was awful. They searched the internet for information to help make their decision.
Nuchal scan in first pregnancy gave low risk result, but anomaly scan at 21 weeks detected abnormalities, confirmed as Edwards' syndrome by amniocentesis. Couple decided to end the pregnancy.
Pregnancy & children
>>
Antenatal Screening
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Ending an affected pregnancy
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Interview AN36
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It was valuable advice to take time to reflect on their decision to end the pregnancy and keep testing each other's feelings. They have positive memor
Nuchal scan in first pregnancy gave low risk result, but anomaly scan at 21 weeks detected abnormalities, confirmed as Edwards' syndrome by amniocentesis. Couple decided to end the pregnancy.
Pregnancy & children
>>
Antenatal Screening
>>
Ending an affected pregnancy
>>
Interview AN36
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Having sympathetic care during the termination was important, including a midwife who cried with her and held her hand.
Nuchal scan in first pregnancy gave low risk result, but anomaly scan at 21 weeks detected abnormalities, confirmed as Edwards' syndrome by amniocentesis. Couple decided to end the pregnancy.
Pregnancy & children
>>
Antenatal Screening
>>
Ending an affected pregnancy
>>
Interview AN36
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Having an injection to ensure the baby died before the induction at 23 weeks was not as bad as anticipated, but still distressing.
Nuchal scan in first pregnancy gave low risk result, but anomaly scan at 21 weeks detected abnormalities, confirmed as Edwards' syndrome by amniocentesis. Couple decided to end the pregnancy.
Pregnancy & children
>>
Antenatal Screening
>>
Ending an affected pregnancy
>>
Interview AN36
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Counselling after the termination helped her and her husband understand their different ways of grieving.
Nuchal scan in first pregnancy gave low risk result, but anomaly scan at 21 weeks detected abnormalities, confirmed as Edwards' syndrome by amniocentesis. Couple decided to end the pregnancy.
Pregnancy & children
>>
Antenatal Screening
>>
Ending an affected pregnancy
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Interview AN32
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She had no idea the 12-week dating scan could detect problems, and felt completely unprepared for the possibility of bad news in her first pregnancy.
Problems detected in first pregnancy at routine 12 week dating scan - confirmed as Edward's syndrome by CVS. Couple decided to end the pregnancy. Now pregnant again.
Pregnancy & children
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Antenatal Screening
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Ending an affected pregnancy
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Interview AN32
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Her 12-week dating scan had to be repeated twice, and she was told the baby's nuchal fold was swollen.
Problems detected in first pregnancy at routine 12 week dating scan - confirmed as Edward's syndrome by CVS. Couple decided to end the pregnancy. Now pregnant again.
Pregnancy & children
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Antenatal Screening
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Ending an affected pregnancy
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Interview AN32
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They decided against blood tests in the current pregnancy and relied only on scans. This time they felt better informed to make a real choice.
Problems detected in first pregnancy at routine 12 week dating scan - confirmed as Edward's syndrome by CVS. Couple decided to end the pregnancy. Now pregnant again.
Pregnancy & children
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Antenatal Screening
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Continuing with an affected pregnancy
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Interview AN38
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They needed definite confirmation that the baby had Patau's syndrome, and agreed with medical advice to have amniocentesis.
Problems detected at 20-week scan. Amniocentesis confirmed Patau's syndrome. Couple decided to proceed with pregnancy. Baby born at 35 weeks and died after 3 minutes.
Pregnancy & children
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Antenatal Screening
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Ending an affected pregnancy
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Interview AN32
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She was unhappy with the information given at her first hospital, but things improved when she saw a specialist.
Problems detected in first pregnancy at routine 12 week dating scan - confirmed as Edward's syndrome by CVS. Couple decided to end the pregnancy. Now pregnant again.
Pregnancy & children
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Antenatal Screening
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Ending an affected pregnancy
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Interview AN32
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They felt very well looked after at the specialist hospital they were referred to, and her partner felt more involved.
Problems detected in first pregnancy at routine 12 week dating scan - confirmed as Edward's syndrome by CVS. Couple decided to end the pregnancy. Now pregnant again.
Pregnancy & children
>>
Antenatal Screening
>>
Ending an affected pregnancy
>>
Interview AN32
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Once they knew the baby had Edwards' syndrome, they felt termination was inevitable, but needed more sympathetic support and counselling.
Problems detected in first pregnancy at routine 12 week dating scan - confirmed as Edward's syndrome by CVS. Couple decided to end the pregnancy. Now pregnant again.
Pregnancy & children
>>
Antenatal Screening
>>
Ending an affected pregnancy
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Interview AN32
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The nurses and one of the doctors were very supportive during the termination, but other staff were sometimes less sympathetic.
Problems detected in first pregnancy at routine 12 week dating scan - confirmed as Edward's syndrome by CVS. Couple decided to end the pregnancy. Now pregnant again.
Pregnancy & children
>>
Antenatal Screening
>>
Ending an affected pregnancy
>>
Interview AN32
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Seeing the baby reassured her that the diagnosis of Edwards' syndrome was correct. Her husband chose not to look.
Problems detected in first pregnancy at routine 12 week dating scan - confirmed as Edward's syndrome by CVS. Couple decided to end the pregnancy. Now pregnant again.
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