Parental decisions regarding prenatally detected fetal sex chromosomal abnormality and the impact of genetic counselling: An analysis of 57 cases in Taiwan
Article first published online: 26 MAR 2008
© 2008 The Authors
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Volume 48, Issue 2, pages 155–159, April 2008
How to Cite
SHAW, S.-W., CHUEH, H.-Y., CHANG, S.-D., CHENG, P.-J., HSIEH, T.-T. and SOONG, Y.-K. (2008), Parental decisions regarding prenatally detected fetal sex chromosomal abnormality and the impact of genetic counselling: An analysis of 57 cases in Taiwan. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 48: 155–159. doi: 10.1111/j.1479-828X.2008.00828.x
- Issue published online: 26 MAR 2008
- Article first published online: 26 MAR 2008
- Received 25 June 2007; accepted 15 December 2007.
Vol. 48, Issue 3, 235, Article first published online: 3 JUN 2008
- genetic counselling;
- prenatal diagnosis;
- sex chromosome abnormality
Objective: To analyse parental decisions regarding pregnancies with sex chromosome abnormalities (SCA).
Methods: Collected and reviewed records from our hospital for 1991–2005. Genetic counselling was provided by obstetricians or perinatologists.
Result: Among 57 fetuses with SCA were 36 non-mosaic cases (four of 36, 45,X; 12 of 36, 47,XXY; seven of 36, 47,XYY, 13 of 36, 47,XXX) and 21 mosaic cases (15 of 21, 45,X mosaicism). Only 20% of 45,X mosaic pregnancies were continued, whereas all other mosaic pregnancies (100%) were continued (P = 0.004). Of 32 SCA cases counselled by a perinatologist, 66% (21 of 32) were continued. In contrast, 36% (nine of 25) of cases counselled by a general obstetrician were continued, a barely significant difference (P = 0.048). More couples chose to continue pregnancies in recent years.
Conclusion: Genetic counselling by well-trained specialists is valuable, and the trend towards fewer terminations at our centre suggests improved parental knowledge of pathology associated with SCA.