Objective. First trimester prenatal diagnosis (PD) by DNA analysis for cystic fibrosis (CF) has been available for parents of affected children since May 1986.
Methods. In a prospective study 37 couples with a single child affected by CF were investigated. Fathers and mothers were interviewed simultaneously, and their attitudes towards further childbearing and potential utilization of PD ascertained. Parental answers were treated as one. A 7-year follow-up allowed comparison between intended and actual behavior.
Results. At the time of the interview, 16 parents (43%) were determined to have further children. Nineteen parents (51%) said they would certainly or probably utilize PD in case of pregnancy. Their predominant reason for favoring PD was the strong desire to have a healthy child (47%). Among the 18 rejectors (49%) the fear of an unsolvable conflict in case of an affected fetus prevailed (39%). Twenty-four pregnancies actually occurred in 18 families. Utilization of PD was arranged in five (21%) and finally performed in four (17%) cases.
Conclusion. Availability of PD does not substantially change the reproductive behavior of parents of children with CF. Reasons for this were multifactorial, with anticipated difficulty in deciding to continue or terminate pregnancy being predominant.
