Gender differences in attitudes to prenatal testing

Prenatal testing offers women the potential for more control over the birth of a disabled child by providing relevant information about the genetic and health status of the foetus during pregnancy. One of the factors that influences women’s decision to terminate a pregnancy is her role of caring for children. Although there has been a change in men’s role within the family in recent years, men generally are less involved in child-care in the home than women. Therefore, men are less likely to consider the possible burden of care a child with disability may place on the carer, and less likely to choose prenatal testing and termination of pregnancy than women. The aim of this study therefore was to research men and women’s attitudes to prenatal testing and termination across thirty conditions that can be detected early in pregnancy. Thirty-six women, all of whom had recently had a baby, and 20 men who had recently become a father to a newborn baby, participated in this study. Of the 36 women and 20 men were 19 couples. The entire sample completed attitudes to prenatal testing (ATP) questionnaire and a brief demographic questionnaire. The results of the study found, that there was no significant differences in attitudes to prenatal testing and termination of pregnancy between men (n=20) and women (n=36) across all conditions. Similarly, there were no significant differences in attitudes to prenatal testing and termination between the paired women (n=19) and men (n=19) across high-burden and low burden conditions. There was a trend however, that men were more interested in prenatal testing and termination for low-burden conditions than were women. There was a high level of agreement between men and women regarding which conditions were more of less severe. There was also a level of agreement within the male group and within the female group regarding which conditions were more of less severe. The results of the study are not generalisable and therefore, further research is necessary to address the methodological limitations of the present study. The clinical implications of the study is that healthcare professionals need to be mindful that men’s attitudes to prenatal testing are as developed as women’s. Therefore, service providers should consider men by including them in such life changing decision-making concerning prenatal testing and termination of a foetus.