Ultrasound Diagnosis of Fetal Malformation in the Second Trimester. The Psychological Reactions of the Women

Abstract

During a 3-year period, 12 fetal malformations were diagnosed by routine ultrasound scanning in the 17th week of gestation. Semistructural interviews were arranged in order to improve understanding of the women's mental reactions, their decision process, their experience of the abortion and the value of the information given. In 1984, 10 women were interviewed during a 2-month period. The time interval between abortion and interview varied between 6 and 34 months. It was found that all women who had had an abortion because of fetal malformation experienced a severe psychological trauma. In some cases, the crisis lasted for an extended period of time. In this study, half of the patients had been unable to cope with their personal crisis. Hence, it is of the utmost importance that the obstetrician is ready to offer more active psychological support to these women.