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Journal of Perinatology
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-018-0107-x
ARTICLE
Prenatal counseling and parental decision-making following a fetal
diagnosis of trisomy 13 or 18
Phoebe Winn1●Krishna Acharya1●Erika Peterson2●Steven Leuthner1
Received: 7 November 2017 / Revised: 6 February 2018 / Accepted: 6 March 2018
© Nature America, Inc., part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract
Objectives To evaluate parental decisions following a prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 13 (T13) or trisomy 18 (T18), prenatal
counseling received, and pregnancy outcomes.
Study design Single-center, retrospective cohort study of families with a prenatal diagnosis of T13 or T18 from 2000 to
2016.
Results Out of 152 pregnancies, 55% were terminated. Twenty percent chose induction with palliative care, 20% chose
expectant management, 2% chose full interventions, and 3% were lost to follow-up. Counseling was based on initial parental
goals, but most women were given options besides termination. Women who chose expectant management had a live birth in
50% of the cases. Women who chose neonatal interventions had a live birth in 100% of the cases, but there were no long-
term survivors.
Conclusions The majority of women who continue their pregnancy after a fetal diagnosis of T13 or T18 desire expectant
management with palliative care. A live birth can be expected at least half of the time.
Introduction
Trisomy 13 (T13) and 18 (T18) are chromosomal anomalies
that have historically been considered lethal [1,2]. Over the
past 10 years, this has been called into question by physi-
cians, ethicists, and families [3,4]. The literature has
focused on one of two areas: the commonly described
negative parental experience of prenatal and neonatal
counseling [5], and the extent of medical and surgical
interventions that children with these conditions receive,
their survival, and neurodevelopmental outcomes [6–15].
Importantly, the majority of pregnancies with T13 or T18
are terminated [16–18]. Data regarding parental goals and
feelings when they choose termination of pregnancy, and
factors such as gestational age at diagnosis, or presence of
other anomalies that may affect that decision, are limited.
Similarly, many families choose to pursue expectant man-
agement with the hopes of a live-born child and the
opportunity to have some memories of their child, but may
not want intensive medical interventions [5]. For families
who are considering expectant management, there are lim-
ited data that health-care providers can use for counseling
on the probability of having a live-born baby vs. the risks of
stillbirth, fetal demise, or a preterm delivery [16,17,19].
In addition, the details about counseling information that
is provided to families with these diagnoses at the prenatal
visit is not well described, and is concentrated toward
families who wanted more interventions [20], particularly in
light of recent literature that informs that the outcomes for
these infants are not uniformly lethal [14,21–23]. Common
messages are that there is better survival than historical data,
and that the mortality rate may be a self-fulfilling medical
prophecy [24,25]. The argument is based on the premise
that prenatal counseling may be limited, directive, biased,
and therefore somewhat predetermined. Additionally, this
argument might suggest that more parents may choose a
different prenatal and neonatal course if offered all options
including full neonatal intervention. While these viewpoints
*Steven Leuthner
sleuthne@mcw.edu
1Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin,
Milwaukee, WI, USA
2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical College of
Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article
(https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-018-0107-x) contains supplementary
material, which is available to authorized users.
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are important to hear, it must be acknowledged that they
come with their own inherent bias, and there are limited
data thus far looking at a prenatal cohort of patients and
exploring their decision trajectories following the initial
diagnosis.
Our objectives were to explore all T13/18 diagnosis at
our center and: (1) describe parental goals following a
prenatal diagnosis of T13 or 18, (2) describe aspects of
prenatal counseling that were provided, (3) describe par-
ental decisions made following counseling about the diag-
nosis, (4) explore trends over time in referrals, parental
decisions made, and counseling options provided, and (5)
describe perinatal outcomes for families who chose options
other than termination of pregnancy.
Methods
We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study of
mothers who were seen at Froedtert Memorial Hospital
(FMH) obstetric clinic or referred to the Fetal Concerns
Center of Wisconsin (FCCW) following a prenatal diag-
nosis of T13 or T18 from 2000–2016. FMH is an academic
medical center in affiliation with the Medical College of
Wisconsin (MCW). The FCCW is a multi-disciplinary
referral center for women whose pregnancies are compli-
cated by concerns of fetal abnormalities. This study was
approved by the Froedtert and Medical College of Wis-
consin’s institutional review board.
In order to include all pregnant women who received a
prenatal diagnosis of T13 or T18 from 2000 to 2016, we
used two data sources: (1) all women who had received a
positive fetal karyotype for T13 or T18 from the Wisconsin
Diagnostic Laboratory, a central laboratory for FMH
(mosaic T13 or T18 were excluded), and (2) women who
had a primary referral diagnosis of T13 or T18 in the
clinical database maintained by the FCCW. There was some
overlap between these two data sources, and all unique
patients were retained in the subsequent data analysis.
We manually reviewed all medical records for women
with a fetal diagnosis of T13 or T18 and their infants (when
applicable) using relevant electronic health records. We
included all pregnant women seen at the FMH or the FCCW
at least once even if delivery took place at another center.
Pregnant women with a karyotype done at Wisconsin
Diagnostic laboratory but who were never seen by a FMH
doctor or the FCCW were excluded. For mothers, both
outpatient and inpatient charts, physician and nursing notes
including labor and delivery records, were reviewed as
available. For infants, records from the newborn nursery
and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) were reviewed,
depending on where the infant was admitted following
birth.
The following data were extracted from the medical charts:
maternal age, marital status, religious affiliation (if docu-
mented), gestational age at the time of diagnosis, method of
diagnosis (maternal serum screening, amniocentesis, chorionic
villus sampling, other); ultrasound findings; fetal gender, health-
care member who delivered the initial diagnosis, and perinatal
outcome. If the pregnancy was not terminated, the mode of
delivery and perinatal outcomes were obtained. For live born
infants, birth weight, gestational age at birth, and discharge
outcomes were extracted. For infants admitted to the NICU, an
internal, NICU database was used for information regarding
length of stay and discharge outcome. For infants admitted to
another unit in the hospital (e.g., pediatric ICU or cardiac ICU),
relevant records were reviewed. For infants discharged home,
follow-up records were reviewed when available.
Finally, we manually reviewed all notes by FCCW nurse
coordinators, genetic counselors, and physicians in order to
understand perceived parental goals at the time of initial
visit, counseling, and options provided to the family (e.g.,
termination of pregnancy vs. expectant management vs. full
interventions), and final choice made by the family. The
perceived initial goals were based on the initial intake
assessment by an experienced fetal nurse coordinator. Due
to the highly variable, open-ended nature of counseling, we
created groups based on common themes. For example,
counseling options were grouped into termination-focused,
palliative-care focused, intervention-focused, expectant
management-focused. All charts were reviewed by P.W.
For families who chose options other than termination,
charts were reviewed a second time by K.A. or S.L. in order
to ensure consistency.
Continuous variables are presented as medians with
interquartile range. Categorical variables are presented as
proportions of total. Wilcoxon rank-sum test, Kruskal–Wallis
test, or χ2-tests were used for comparing differences between
groups as appropriate. Mantel–Haenzscel tests were used to
evaluate trends in proportion over time. Stata Statistical
Software: Release 14. College Station, TX: StataCorp LP was
used for data analyses.
Results
From 2000 to 2016, there were 152 pregnant mothers who
received a prenatal diagnosis of T13 or T18 and were seen
at the FMH. Of those, 88 patients (58%) were referred to the
FCCW.
Demographic characteristics
Table 1describes the characteristics of the patient popula-
tion. There were 118 cases of T18, and 34 cases of T13. The
median maternal age was 34. A majority of the mothers
P. Winn et al.
were married (79%) and identified as Christian (57%). Most
cases were singleton gestation (95%). An ultrasound
abnormality was found in all but two cases. The majority of
mothers had a confirmatory diagnostic test such as chor-
ionic villus sampling or amniocentesis.
Parental goals, counseling, and final decisions made
Table 2outlines parental goals at the initial visit, specialists
seen by families, documented options offered during
counseling, and final choices made regarding continuation
vs. termination of pregnancy. Many women (41%) came in
wanting to terminate the pregnancy and may have met
providers at the FCCW for clarification or support, such as a
FCC nurse or other specialist. Counseling was tailored to
initial parent goals: when women came in wanting to ter-
minate, counseling was focused on termination options, but
other options were discussed a third of the time when initial
goals were seen as unclear. When women were unsure
(32%) or wanted to continue the pregnancy with palliative
care (23%) or all interventions (3%), they were more likely
to be referred to the FCCW, and to meet with a FCC nurse
and a neonatologist. Counseling then was more inclusive of
the range of available options. Women who came in
wanting to terminate the pregnancy chose that option almost
all the time. Women who came in unsure usually chose
termination or early induction of labor, with a third
choosing expectant management, but none chose interven-
tions. Women who hoped to continue the pregnancy as far
as possible were more likely to choose expectant manage-
ment, but a third chose not to continue the pregnancy fol-
lowing counseling, and none chose interventions. Women
who presented wanting everything done often chose all
interventions after counseling. Of note, no family chose full
intervention unless they came with that motivation.
Counseling provided
Supplemental Information 1 shows information that was
documented as being included in counseling. Obstetricians
usually documented only survival information regarding
pregnancy outcomes. Maternal–fetal medicine specialist
(M.F.M.) documented survival, adding the contributions of
the comorbid ultrasound findings and maternal risks. Neo-
natologists and genetic counselors usually documented
information about survival, neurodevelopmental outcomes,
and burdens or quality of life for survivors, often in light of
the comorbid conditions. Most health-care professionals
documented the term “lethal”when referring to neonatal
outcomes. When statistics were documented, they were not
consistent between providers. For example, some obste-
tricians cited a 0–10% live birth rate, whereas other provi-
ders documented anywhere from a 50–90% chance of
children dying before the first year of life. Documentation
about neurodevelopmental outcomes included information
such as children with these diagnoses would not be
Table 1 Demographic and clinical characteristics of pregnant mothers
with a fetal diagnosis of T13 or T18
T13 or T18 (n=
152)
T13 34
T18 118
Maternal age, median (IQR) 34.5 (29–38) years
Marital status
% married 122 (79%)
Gestational age at diagnosis, n(%) 18 (15–21)aweeks
Fetal gender, n (%)
Male 62 (41%)
Unknown 15 (10%)
Religion, n (%)
Christian 86 (57%)
Non-Christian other (Hindu, Muslim, Mormon,
Jehovah’s witness)
7 (5%)
No religion 21 (14%)
Unknown or missing 38 (25%)
Gestation, n (%)
Singleton gestation 145 (95%)
Twin gestation 1 (0.6%)
Triplet gestation 6 (4%)
Gravidity, n (%)
Primigravid 32 (21%)
Number with one or more living children, n
(%)
101 (66%)
Diagnostic tests done, n (%)
Cell-free DNA 21 (15%)
Chorionic villus sampling 32 (21%)
Amniocentesis 104 (68%)
Ultrasound 129 (85%)
Quad screen 21 (14%)
At least one abnormality on ultrasound, n (%)
Yes 150 (99%)
Unknown/not documented 2 (1%)
Additional complicating condition presentb97 (63%)
aGestational age at diagnosis has six missing values
bAn additional complicating condition was defined as a condition that
would significantly impact neonatal survival or long-term prognosis in
addition to the diagnosis of T13 or T18. The following were included:
abdominal wall defect, complex heart defect, dandy-walker malforma-
tion, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, holoprosencephaly, hydrops
fetalis, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, neural tube defect, micro-
cephaly, tetralogy of fallot, pleural effusion, ascites, AV canal, Chiari
malformation, cyclopia, bladder outlet obstruction, hydrocephalus,
pulmonary stenosis, coarctation of aorta, esophageal atresia/TEF,
pulmonary hypoplasia
Prenatal counseling and parental decision-making following a fetal diagnosis of trisomy 13 or 18
Table 2 Parental goals, counseling options offered, and choices made following a prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 13 or 18 (n=152)
Parent goals at initial visit Specialists seen N(%) Options offered N(%) Choices made N(%)
Terminate pregnancy OB/perinatologist 62 (100%) Termination/early
induction
40 (65%) Termination 38 (95%)
62 (41%) FCC nurse 25 (40%) Induction with palliative care 2 (5%)
Genetic counselor 19 (31%)
Neonatologist 3 (5%) All options offered 19 (31%) Termination 14 (74%)
Induction with palliative care 3 (16%)
Expectant management with
palliative care
2 (11%)
Unknown/not
documented
3 (5%) Termination 3 (100%)
Unsure OB/perinatologist 47 (96%) All options offered 32 (65%) Induction with palliative care 13 (41%)
49 (32%) FCC nurse 26 (53%) Termination 11 (34%)
Genetic counselor 21 (43%) Expectant management with
palliative care
7 (22%)
Neonatologist 18 (37%)
Other specialists 1 (2%) Unknown 1 (3%)
Termination 13 (27%) Termination 12 (92%)
Expectant management with
palliative care
1 (8%)
Palliative-care focused 2 (4%) Expectant management with
palliative care
1 (50%)
Unknown 1 (50%)
Unknown/not
documented
2 (4%) Termination 1 (50%)
Unknown 1 (50%)
Continue pregnancy as
long as
OB/perinatologist 24 (77%) All options offered 28 (90%) Expectant management with
palliative care
17 (61%)
possible FCC nurse 27 (87%)
31 (20%) Genetic counselor 13 (42%) Induction with palliative care 9 (32%)
Neonatologist 23 (74%) Termination 1 (4%)
Other specialists 7 (22%) Unknown 1 (4%)
Palliative-care focused 2 (7%) Expectant management with
palliative care
2 (100%)
Intervention-focused 1 (3%) Expectant management with
palliative care
1 (100%)
Induce with palliative
care
OB/perinatologist 5 (100%) All options offered 4 (80%) Induction with palliative care 3 (75%)
5 (3%) FCC nurse 5 (100%)
Genetic counselor 2 (40%)
Neonatologist 4 (80%)
Termination 1 (25%)
Termination 1 (20%) Induction with palliative care 1 (100%)
Want everything done OB/perinatologist 5 (100%) All options offered 3 (60%) All interventions 2 (67%)
5 (3%) FCC nurse 5 (100%) Induction with palliative care 1 (33%)
Genetic counselor 3 (60%) Intervention-focused 2 (40%) All interventions 2 (100%)
Neonatologist 5 (100%)
Other specialists 3 (60%)
OB obstetrician, FCC Fetal Concerns Center
P. Winn et al.
expected to develop beyond a 6–12-month-old stage, but
that they would respond to touch and would know their own
family members, and that walking and talking were usually
limited to children who were mosaic. Documentation about
comorbid health conditions included information about
additional ultrasound findings and how these might con-
tribute to the prognosis of the child. These conversations
were primarily with neonatologists and MFMs. Content
included the possibilities for interventions with specific
anomalies such as cardiac surgery for heart malformations
or shunt placement for hydrocephalus, but mostly, these
were used as further evidence of the poor prognosis of the
fetus. Discussions about the impact on families focused
mainly on risk of recurrence of T13 or T18 with a future
pregnancy, risk to the mother’s future pregnancies in the
case of a C-section, and the kind of financial and emotional
support the family might need regardless of the choices they
made.
Parental values and final pregnancy decision
Figure 1shows final parental decision following counseling,
and recurring themes that emerged for each decision cate-
gory. Parents who terminated their pregnancy cited reasons
such as poor outcomes, inability to carry a fetus with a low
chance of survival and hoping to try again. Documented
reasons why parents chose early induction and palliative
care was that they either would have terminated if they had
found out the diagnosis earlier, because of insurance delays
or refusals, or that they were against termination, but psy-
chologically found it difficult to continue toward a term
pregnancy with a baby they recognized might die inside
them. One parent described the decision-making as “being
on a death penalty jury”. Parents who chose expectant
management cited being against termination of pregnancy
and not wanting to make that decision, yet appreciating not
wanting their baby to suffer, or live with a burdensome or
poor quality of life. Additionally, they cited the hopes of
meeting their baby alive. Parents who wanted full inter-
ventions cited reasons such as not wanting to discriminate
against their baby, wanting to give their baby any possible
chance of survival, and/or their belief in the possibility of a
miracle, even appreciating and describing this chance as a
“parting of the Red Sea.”
Trends over time
Supplemental Information 2 shows the number of women
with a fetal diagnosis of T13 or T18 who were referred to
the FCCW (n=88 out of total 152) as a proportion of total
Fig. 1 Final parental decisions after a prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 13 or 18 (n=152)
Prenatal counseling and parental decision-making following a fetal diagnosis of trisomy 13 or 18
referrals to the FCCW during the same time period. There
was an increase in the number of patients seen with a fetal
diagnosis of T13 or T18 and a corresponding increase in the
total number of referrals to FCCW over time, with 40% of
patients being seen in the last 5 years of the study period
(2012–2016). However, the proportion of T13 or T18
referrals was not different over time. Trends over time for
each parental decision category (e.g., interventions vs. ter-
mination vs. expectant management) were not statistically
significant nor were counseling options offered to families,
however all families who wanted interventions were seen
within the last 2 years of the study period. Forty-five percent
of the families who chose expectant management were seen
within the last 4 years of the study period. Fewer families
(18% vs. 36%) chose induction of labor with palliative care
in 2012–2016 compared to 2000–2005, which may reflect
changes in state abortion laws that impact options [26].
Pregnancy outcomes
Table 3compares pregnancy characteristics among those
who chose termination vs. other options, as well as out-
comes of pregnancies that were not terminated. The cohort
that chose termination was diagnosed at a younger
gestational age (17 weeks vs. 20 weeks). Maternal age,
marital status and religious affiliation were not significantly
different among groups. For families who chose expectant
management, an in utero fetal demise occurred in 33% of
cases. For those who delivered vaginally, a live birth
occurred in at least 50% of the cases. For those who had a
C-section, a live birth occurred in 87% of the cases. For the
infants born alive after expectant management, 5 out of 12
infants died on the same day, and the remainder survived
for 1–8 days after birth. Families who chose neonatal
interventions were more likely to deliver via C-section, and
all children were born alive and admitted to the NICU.
Three out of 4 babies died while in the hospital on days 1, 6,
and 205, respectively. One infant was discharged home but
subsequently died at 14 months of age. All 4 infants
received mechanical ventilation; the two infants who sur-
vived beyond a week received a G-tube. The infant who
died on day 6 had a CDH repair on day 2. The infant who
died on day 205 had cardiac surgery and a tracheostomy.
The infant who died at 14 months of age received respira-
tory support as any late preterm infant might, had no major
structural anomalies and required no surgical interventions
other than the G-Tube, yet had many hospital admissions
throughout her life.
Table 3 Outcomes of pregnancies following a fetal diagnosis of T13 or T18 (n=148)
Termination (n=
81)
Induction with
palliative care (n=32)
Expectant management with
palliative care (n=31)
Intervention (n=
4)
Pvalue
Gestational age at diagnosis
(median (IQR)
17 (13–19) 20 (18–230) weeks 20 (15–23) weeks 21 (14–21) weeks 0.0001
Maternal age, median (IQR) 35 (29–38) years 33 (26–39) years 35 (29–39) years 35 (29–38) 0.700
Presence of an additional
complicating conditiona
40 (49%) 27 (84%) 24 (77%) 3 (75%) 0.001
Primigravid mother 11 (14%) 12 (37%) 7 (23%) 1 (25%) 0.045
Other living children present 55 (68%) 18 (56%) 23 (74%) 2 (50%) 0.411
Married 64 (79%) 21 (66%) 29 (94%) 4 (100%) 0.346
Religious affiliation identified 40 (49%) 21 (65%) 24 (77%) 2 (50%) 0.097
No religious affiliation 15 (18%) 2 (6%) 3 (10%) 0 (0%)
Pregnancy outcome (n =62)
Live born 17/31 (55%) 12/27 (44%) 4/4 (100%)b
Stillborn (death during labor) 13/31 (42%) 6/27 (22%) —
IUFD (death before onset of
labor)
1/31 (3%) 9/27 (33%) —
For live born infants
Gestational age at birth 29 (25–35) weeks 37 (36–38) weeks 33 (30–37) weeks
Of those delivered vaginally,
% live born
15/28 (54%) 5/10 (50%) 1/1 (100%)
aAn additional complicating condition was defined as a condition that would significantly impact neonatal survival or long-term prognosis in
addition to the diagnosis of T13 or T18. The following were included: abdominal wall defect, complex heart defect, dandy-walker malformation,
congenital diaphragmatic hernia, holoprosencephaly, hydrops fetalis, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, neural tube defect, microcephaly, tetralogy
of fallot, pleural effusion, ascites, AV canal, Chiari malformation, cyclopia, bladder outlet obstruction, hydrocephalus, pulmonary stenosis,
coarctation of aorta, esophageal atresia/TEF, pulmonary hypoplasia
bAll infants who received interventions have subsequently died (age at death ranged from 1 day to 14 months)
P. Winn et al.
Discussion
This is the first study to represent a large cohort of women
with a prenatal diagnosis of T13 or T18, and describes their
initial goals following the diagnosis, prenatal counseling
received, and final decisions and pregnancy outcomes. Our
major conclusions are as follows:
1. The majority of women with a prenatal diagnosis of
T13 or T18 come in to a regional perinatal center
knowing how they would like to proceed with the
pregnancy, with termination being the most common
choice. The next largest group is those that choose
expectant management with the hopes of a live born
child yet choosing palliative care as the neonatal
treatment.
2. Documentation of prenatal counseling usually
includes all options, but often focuses on information
about survival, with neonatologists documenting more
data on the life of those that survive.
3. For those who choose expectant management with
palliative care, we provide some data on the chances
of having a live born baby with different modes of
delivery. For women who choose this option, our data
show that a live birth can be expected in 50% of cases
during a vaginal delivery and an 87% chance if a C-
section is performed.
4. Neonatal interventions are chosen by a small minority
of women, and typically their choice is clear prior to
team counseling.
In a high-risk perinatal clinic, a majority of women with
a prenatal diagnosis of T13 or T18 arrive knowing how they
want to proceed with the pregnancy. Based on our cohort
and similar to prior studies, over half of these women
choose termination of pregnancy, especially when the
diagnosis was made before 20 weeks of pregnancy [27–29].
Common documented reasons reported by women who
choose to terminate the pregnancy were the psychological
burden of carrying a pregnancy with known poor outcomes
and the hopes for a healthy child in the future. Another one-
fifth of women in our cohort chose early induction with
palliative care. These women were often diagnosed at or
after 20 weeks’gestation when termination may be harder
to obtain, and were more likely seen prior to 2015, after
which there was a change in abortion laws that limit this
option in the state of Wisconsin [26]. Families must now
choose early termination (<22 weeks) in-state, termination
out-of-state (if >22 weeks), or expectant management.
Some women who chose early induction hoped to see and
hold their baby. Importantly, while some women desired
opportunities for memory making, not all wanted memen-
tos. Many stated that continuation of the pregnancy would
be too hard emotionally. Women who wanted to continue
the pregnancy commonly chose expectant management. All
of these women had hopes of meeting their baby alive.
While some took on maternal risks of a C-section, all
wanted palliative care as the main neonatal intervention.
At our institution, we found that prenatal counseling
often included all options but was also tailored to parent
goals. If a family arrived knowing they wanted to terminate
the pregnancy, they were not actively counseled on options
for interventions or expectant management. Conversely, if a
family initially stated that termination was not an option,
they were counseled on different alternatives. The content
on survival, disease or organ specific outcomes, and neu-
rodevelopmental outcome had some variation. Whether this
was patient or provider-driven based on the meeting, and
what impact it had on decision-making cannot be deter-
mined from this study. Indeed, an area of practice
improvement for physicians is providing accurate counsel-
ing information to families in an empathetic and balanced
way [30]. For example, women carrying a fetus with a
diagnosis of T13 or T18 are often told that their child will
die in utero or during the birthing process [5,31]. Our data
suggests that this is not accurate in at least half of the cases
of pregnancy continuation. When physicians do not know
the data or fail to honestly acknowledge to families that a
range of outcomes is possible, they either create distrust in
any providers’ability to predict outcome or set up the
patient to consider their child as being outside the norm,
either of which may have other far-reaching consequences.
On the other hand, some families may come in already
having set their minds on one option (usually termination
and rarely, interventions), and may not be interested in
hearing about other options. An important area of future
research would be to understand the families’perspectives
on the information they received at counseling, and how or
whether it affected their decision-making.
For families whose common goal is expectant manage-
ment and a live born child, there are limited previously
published data on the outcomes of continuation of preg-
nancy and the chances of live birth vs. the risks of stillbirth
or fetal demise [16,17,19]. Our study fills an important gap
in knowledge about these pregnancies that can help guide
prenatal counseling. If the family goal is a live born baby,
this is achieved at least half of the time in women who
choose expectant management, with two-thirds of the
pregnancies being carried to full-term. In one-third of the
cases of expectant management there is in utero fetal
demise, and in 20% of cases there is a stillbirth during labor.
Yet this is very different data than the 0–10% chance of live
birth that some parents note as a common obstetric coun-
seling statistic. Once the pregnant woman reaches term,
there is a 50% chance of a live birth with vaginal delivery,
and for women who undergo a C-section delivery, this rate
is higher still, albeit with more risks to the mother and
Prenatal counseling and parental decision-making following a fetal diagnosis of trisomy 13 or 18
potential risk to future pregnancies. When early induction
with palliative care is chosen, a live birth can be expected
over half of the time, but the risk of stillbirth in labor is
greater, perhaps due to fetal intolerance of labor at a
younger gestational age. While decisions are not straight-
forward for families, these numbers may be helpful in set-
ting realistic expectations for the pregnancy. They can also
be valuable in not overstating the need for a C-section in
order to have a live birth.
Recent literature has focused largely on the outcomes of
infants with T13 or 18 who receive medical and surgical
interventions during the neonatal period and beyond [6–14,
22,32]. These studies answer important questions for all
families who do not choose termination. For the small
minority that might choose life-sustaining measures for
their children, it provides them the best information for the
most informed choice [33]. For those families who are
considering expectant management and palliative care, it
provides them the information to make a choice based on
burdens of known outcomes. In our cohort, there were
women who choose either termination or palliative care
once knowing this information. Whether this helps in the
longer-term grief process is also an area of future research.
As the debate surrounding provision of interventions for
children with T13 or T18 continues, we must acknowledge
that this debate addresses the fewer than 5% of families who
choose interventions, and we raise caution that the pendu-
lum ought not to swing from limiting parental choice
because of lethality to parents losing their voice in the
direction of mandated care.
In conclusion, the majority of families choose termina-
tion of pregnancy after a fetal diagnosis of T13 or T18,
however many others continue the pregnancy with goals of
a live born child but not necessarily medical interventions,
while few request full intervention. Prenatal counseling is
tailored to parental goals, and thus may not always include
all possible outcomes. At the same time, families are offered
multiple options a majority of the time, which seems to
contradict the literature that surveys parents alone. Physi-
cians should be sensitive to the difficult decisions that all
families with this diagnosis face and individualize coun-
seling information to support families in alignment with
families’goals and values.
Limitations
Data presented in this study should be interpreted in light of
several limitations. We studied women who were referred to
a large, tertiary, maternal–fetal center, and this sample does
not include women who may have been only cared for by
community obstetricians. Thus, our population may over-
estimate the percentage of families who wanted to continue
a pregnancy. At the same time, we do not know the
accuracy of what families are counseled by their community
obstetricians, thus questioning fully informed decision-
making. This was a retrospective study which relied on
interpretation of medical documentation in order to assess
perceived parental goals and information provided at
counseling. Although multiple notes (besides physician
documentation) were assessed to collect accurate data,
medical documentation may not be completely reflective of
what was said at counseling, or what the parents perceived
they were told.
In spite of these limitations, this is the first study that
presents data from a large number of women with a prenatal
fetal diagnosis of T13 or T18 and explores the range of
decisions made by women with such pregnancies, which in
our opinion, presents a more balanced view of the con-
temporary scenario. Importantly, it provides perinatal outcome
data of pregnancies for women who chose expectant man-
agement with palliative care, thus providing at least some
expectations of obstetrical outcome that can be available for
counseling purposes. Our next steps will be to conduct follow-
up qualitative interviews of a proportion of these families to
obtain first-hand accounts of the parental perception of
counseling information provided, and how we can improve
counseling for families who are faced with these diagnoses.
Compliance with ethical standards
Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of
interest.
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