The New Era of Prenatal Genetic Testing Considerations regarding the scope, psychological consequences and pregnant couples’ preferences

The aim of this thesis is to address the psychological consequences of the introduction of new techniques in prenatal testing for pregnant women or couples, which as a consequence lead to the identification of many more clinically relevant findings with which couples have to deal with.
Part 1 of this thesis addresses the preferences of pregnant women or couples regarding the scope of invasive Prenatal Diagnosis (PND). The psychological consequences, such as anxiety and doubts of a broader scope and level of informed choice are studied.
Part 2 of this thesis focuses on the psychological consequences and the level of informed choice of Non -Invasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT).
The studies in this thesis have added insight into the patients’ perspective in the ever changing prenatal testing environment.