Parental reaction and adaptability to the prenatal diagnosis of fetal defect or genetic disease leading to pregnancy interruption.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the psychological reaction of two groups of parents to a pregnancy termination after they had undergone a prenatal diagnostic procedure. The analysis involved interviews with a study group of 76 patients who were at risk of giving birth to a child with a genetic disease or defect and a comparison group of 124 who had a pregnancy termination after a major anomaly had been detected by routine ultrasound and who were not at known risk for a genetic disease. Only patients in the study group had received counselling before the prenatal diagnosis and were aware that the fetus could be affected.

Maternal alphafetoprotein screening by the polypropylene tube immunoradiometric assay on dried blood.

The polypropylene tube immunoradiometric assay for alphafetoprotein (AFP) determination was applied to maternal serum along with a radioimmunoassay technique during the second trimester of pregnancy. Blood from pregnant women was collected by finger prick on strips of chromatography paper (Schleicher and Schuell No. 903C) and air dried.