CARRIER SCREENING FOR CYSTIC-FIBROSIS - A PILOT-STUDY OF THE ATTITUDES OF PREGNANT-WOMEN

We surveyed the attitudes of a consecutive sample of 306 pregnant Caucasian women toward carrier screening for cystic fibrosis. Of the 214 respondents, 98% said that screening should be offered before pregnancy, and 69% said they would accept carrier screening during pregnancy. Twenty-nine percent of the respondents indicated a willingness to terminate a pregnancy if the fetus were found to have cystic fibrosis, We conclude that carrier screening is of interest to pregnant women, although interest in terminating a pregnancy because of screening results may be limited.