Women Talk
Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing Can Lessen Uncertainty, Anxiety During Pregnancy
By Renee Jones, Genetic Counselor and Market Development Manager at Ariosa Diagnostics
Women remember their pregnancies. They remember their first reaction to the news, the precise number of pounds gained, and the hours (or days) in labor. I certainly recall these details, and even more, from my three pregnancies. Conversations with thousands of women as part of my seven years of providing prenatal genetic counseling taught me this. Women remember the physicality of pregnancy: the nausea, the shift in balance or the swollen ankles. They also remember the emotions of pregnancy − the excitement, the fear and frequently, the vulnerability. A pregnant women’s life is constantly changing, and she is dependent on caregivers, family and friends to guide her to the other side of this reproductive miracle. It may look routine from the outside, but when it’s your body and your life, there is nothing routine about the process.
Women also share their pregnancy stories. Women talk. I recall being amazed and slightly disturbed as relative strangers proudly launched into their delivery stories, always accompanied by probing questions. When are you due? Is this your first baby? They occasionally even reached out to touch the protruding proof! Women do not get to reproduce in private, and they talk about it in public, as a result.
The lack of control was an uncomfortable emotion for me during pregnancy. Waiting 9 months to meet your newborn, and verify that ‘everything is okay’ was unlike any other life-changing event. An optional medical test to reveal some information about the health of the baby was a chance to assert some control and learn something in advance. Avoid surprises. Participate in the process. It’s no wonder that 70% of pregnant women choose to have the prenatal screening test for the most common genetic disorders, trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome.
It’s also no wonder that the statistical downside of this common screening test is well understood by so many women in the obstetrical community. Women talk. The 5% false positive rate for this simple test may seem like mathematical mumbo-jumbo to someone who is not pregnant, but receiving a positive result on your screening test results can elicit an emotional storm for a women who already feels a little bit afraid and anxious. Another trip to the doctor for a special ultrasound. Another day off work, perhaps with significant travel. A counseling session to discuss more options and statistics. A possible amniocentesis. Women have heard about this process. From the friends, their nurses, their mothers, their sisters. Women talk.
I joined Ariosa Diagnostics because the Harmony test can eliminate this anxiety for thousands of pregnant women and the medical providers who care for them. The sophistication of our test amazes me. The blend of molecular biology, bioinformatics and statistics, attended to by hundreds of serious scientists is the result of years of genetics and computer research. And the general population is ready to trust in the power of DNA and computers. They use their smart phones every day, and have learned from CSI on television that DNA solves crimes, as well as causes diseases. They are ready to trust that this new blend will provide more precise information. And they want more precise information. Remember, women talk.
The obstetrical community is learning about using DNA for trisomy risk detection, and thinking about how to fit this powerful test into their practice’s protocols. The insurance industry is studying how this new test will be cost-effective, for who and when should it be deployed. In the meantime, women are talking. Obstetricians are telling their pregnant daughters “Get the DNA test!” Implementing new tests into medical practices is not a rapid process but this test is being adopted at a dizzying pace, because women talk. Women are asking for the Harmony test. Women want a more precise test because women are anxious. And they are smart.
Women are already talking, and this is something we should all be talking about.
