Non-invasive prenatal screening of fetal sex chromosomal abnormalities: perspective of pregnant women

Objective: To study whether pregnant women would like to be informed if sex chromosomal abnormalities (SCA) were suspected with the non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of fetal Down syndrome (the NIFTY) test. Methods: Two hundred and one patients carried a singleton pregnancy requesting the NIFTY test were invited to give their preferences if there was suspicion of SCA by the NIFTY test. Results: Over 93.5% were ethnic Chinese, with a mean age of 36. Prior Down screening was positive in 66 (32.8%). Over 50% of subjects considered SCA to be better in terms of disability compared to Down syndrome, and only 5.2% considered SCA to be worse. Yet, the majority (198, 98.5%) indicated that they wanted to be informed if there was suspicion of SCA. Of whom 34.8% would have an amniocentesis for confirmation, while 57.1% were not certain, indicating the possibility of accepting these conditions. Conclusion: Besides screening Down syndrome by NIFTY, most pregnant women would also like to be informed if there was suspicion of SCA. Those screened positive should be counseled by those with experience in genetics to avoid unnecessary pregnancy termination.