Awareness and attitudes of pregnant women about prenatal screening and diagnostic tests from Türkiye

Prenatal screening and diagnostic tests are complex procedures that have to be conducted within a limited timeframe and require pregnant women to make rapid decisions. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of pregnant women by posing particular questions on screening and diagnostic tests, and to determine the correlation with sociodemographic and obstetric factors. A total of 259 pregnancies were enrolled to evaluate their knowledge of prenatal screening and diagnostic tests. Participants were categorized into groups and were presented with 5-point Likert-type questions. Based on the responses, each question was evaluated individually and scored. The mean age was 29.97 ± 5.63, the mean duration of marriage was 6.06 ± 5 years, and 32.8% of participants had a university degree or above. Among them, 52.1% (135/259) had not undergone prenatal screening tests. The percentage of recommended prenatal diagnostic testing was 37.1% (96/259). Demographic and obstetric characteristics were compared between those who underwent screening tests and those who did not. The percentage of screening tests was higher among employed women and those in consanguineous marriages. A statistically significant correlation was found between participants’ consent for diagnostic testing, gestational week, employment status, and the type of screening test administered (p < 0.05). Questionnaire scores were significantly higher in both screened and unscreened groups among those with a university degree or higher. These findings emphasize the importance of informing pregnant women effectively, which may be achieved through a well-organized counseling network.