Parental decisions to terminate/continue following abnormal cytogenetic prenatal diagnosis: "what" is still more important than "when".

This study was undertaken to determine if parental decisions to continue or terminate following the diagnosis of a cytogenetic abnormality have changed over the past 8 years at the same center. Parental decisions in 310 prenatal chromosomal abnormalities were stratified by procedure (chorionic villus sampling [CVS] vs. amniocentesis) and the severity of the anomaly (severe vs mild-moderate). Patients with severe anomalies were much more likely to terminate regardless of gestational age. There was a trend (P = .107) toward a lower rate of termination for mild-moderate degrees in the second trimester. There was no change in patient's decisions over time. Patients' decisions about termination are focused on the severity of the disorder and only marginally influenced by when in gestation the decision is made.