Organized Routine Ultrasound in the Second Trimester - One Hundred Womens' Experiences

Objective: To study the information pregnant women recalled about the option of having an ultrasound examination performed during the second trimester and the fact that malformations can be detected and to see if this caused apprehension in a low-risk population. Methods: Standardized semistructured interviews with 100 (50 nullipara and 50 parous) women immediately after they had a second trimester ultrasound examination performed. Results: Very few women felt that the verbal information given at the antenatal clinic fully clarified the intentions of an ultrasound examination whereas the majority thought that the written information received before the ultrasound was satisfactory. Less than half of the women recalled that they had been given professional information about the possibility that malformations could be detected, and a third could not recall having been given this information from any source. Sixty-two women thought that an ultrasound examination was a compulsory part of their antenatal care. Over two-thirds of the women were very or slightly apprehensive about adverse findings before the examination was performed. Nearly all women were satisfied with the information given during and after the examination and felt better afterward. Conclusion: These women were not informed satisfactorily about the aims and options of a second trimester ultrasound examination. It is important to give complete information and to make sure it is understood by the women in order to preserve their autonomy.