Postpartum questionnaire survey of women who tested negative in a non-invasive prenatal testing: examining negative emotions towards the test

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is used worldwide to screen for fetal aneuploidy. Although previous studies on the psychosocial aspects of NIPT have focused on satisfaction regarding the test, we surveyed women who experienced negative emotions after receiving NIPT. From January 2018 to March 2019, we surveyed pregnant women whose NIPT results were negative, one year after the test. Of the 526 respondents, 35 (6.7%) regretted receiving NIPT and blamed themselves for taking it. We assigned this 6.7% of respondents to the negative emotion group. Although, 76.5% of the participants in the negative emotion group reported they would like to take NIPT for their next pregnancy, it was significantly lower as compared to the control group (92%). Furthermore, 31.9% of respondents in the control group reported that they would recommend similar tests to their relatives and friends. Conversely, in the negative emotion group, this proportion was lower at 17.1%. This suggests that guilt over testing may be meaningful. Thus, this study showed that some NIPT examinees regretted taking the test and blamed themselves. Respondents reported experiencing stress, anxiety, and depression even before NIPT affirming that it is important to address pregnant women’s psychosocial status during pre-test genetic counseling.