Preference assessment of prenatal diagnosis for Down syndrome: Is 35 years a rational cutoff?

Objective To compare the perceptions of miscarriage and birth of a child with Down syndrome among pregnant women and to evaluate the implications of these preferences for the traditional 35-year old maternal age risk boundary. Methods An interviewer-administered survey was given to 186 pregnant women receiving antepartum care at a university hospital. Preferences. as reflected by utilities, for birth of a child with Down syndrome and pregnancy miscarriage, stratified by patient characteristics, were assessed. Results The utility for the birth of a child with Down syndrome decreased (P < 0.001) as clinical severity increased from mild (0.78) to severe (0.65). Miscarriage of a pregnancy had a mean utility of 0.76 +/- 0.31. Women who desired prenatal diagnosis had a utility value for miscarriage (0.79 +/- 0.28) that was significantly higher than for the birth of a child with Down syndrome of unknown severity (0.73 +/- 0.27). In multivariable logistic regression, desire for prenatal diagnosis was the only factor associated with a preference of miscarriage over birth of an affected child (odds ratio 2.26. 95% confidence interval 1.03, 4.96). Conclusion Women who desire prenatal diagnosis do not perceive the birth of a child with Down syndrome and a pregnancy miscarriage to be equivalent health states. This finding calls into question the rationale of the 35-year-old maternal age criterion and suggests that actual patient preferences should be better incorporated into the decision to offer definitive prenatal diagnosis. Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.