Abortion After Prenatal Testing Methods of Prenatal Essay

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Abortion After Prenatal Testing

Methods of Prenatal Diagnosis

There are four methods of prenatal diagnosis that is available to women. The first and most commonly known is ultrasonography, colloquially referred to as "ultrasound." A picture of the fetus is developed through the implementation of sound waves. Ultrasound is used to identify abnormalities that are physically apparent such as deformed limbs, defective chest, and heart. During the fourteenth to sixteenth week of the pregnancy, neural tube defects can also be detected (Cassidy & Gentles, 2002). There are other uses such as detecting multiple fetuses and measuring fetal growth.

The second method is Maternal Serum Alpha Fetoprotein Screening (MSAFP). Its primary purpose is to detect neural tube defects by measuring the alpha fetoprotein levels in the women's blood. High levels of alpha fetoprotein can indicate neural tube defects in the fetus. This exam is typically administered during the fifteenth to seventeenth week of gestation (Cassidy & Gentles, 2002).

Amniocentesis, the third method, is an invasive procedure as it requires inserting a needle through the mother's abdominal wall and into the amniotic sac. Once in the amniotic sac, fluid is withdrawn. The amniotic fluid is tested for chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome, Edwards syndrome, and Turner syndrome (Yashon & Cummings, 2012).

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There is a risk of miscarriage associated with amniocentesis, however the risk is minimal.

The newest procedure used for prenatal diagnosis is Chorionic Villi Sampling (CVS). This test can be administered in the first trimester. The villi are utilized to give fetal chromosomal information. This method is not as precise as amniocentesis since placental material is used. CVS has a higher risk of miscarriage and causing damage to the fetus than the previously mentioned testing methods (Cassidy & Gentles, 2002).

Reasons Parents are Unprepared for the Diagnosis

There is a cognitive dissonance between parents and healthcare providers over the reason why prenatal testing is performed. Parents perform prenatal testing as a method of reassuring themselves that their baby is healthy while doctors administer the tests to identify fetal abnormalities early enough to prevent the pregnancy from reaching full term (Cassidy & Gentles, 2002). In other words, parents look to these tests for positive outcomes while healthcare providers look for the negative. Therefore, parents react adversely when presented with anything but an optimistic result.

Emotions after the Abortion

The emotions parents experience after an abortion are not surprising. Symptoms of grief are….....

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