Making sense of the situation: Women's reflection of positive fetal screening 11–21 months after giving birth

Abstract

Objectivewe aimed to gain insights into women's reflection on their experience of receiving a false-positive screening result for fetal anomalies, more than 11 months from birth. Design and settingthe women constituted a subgroup of participants in a larger cohort study (n=1111) where the purpose was to explore women's experience of maternity services, their health, well-being, attitudes and expectations during pregnancy and after birth. Semi-structured interviews were collected from 14 women 11–21 months after birth who had been screened positive for fetal chromosomal abnormality in early pregnancy. The method of life-world phenomenological approach was used in data collection and analyses. Findingfour themes were identified: first reaction, framing of the news, I am not an island and pregnancy lost and regained. With few exceptions, their experience can be seen as a pathway from shock to balanced feeling where women have made sense of what happened and have dealt adequately with their situation. Conclusionthis study indicates that few women still experience anxiety and concerns in relation to positive fetal screening result more than 11 months from birth. They however remember vividly their first reaction and how the result was presented. As such, the findings have implications in the clinical context meaning that framing of the news on face-to-face level, extended information about the test results, help to sort out mixed feelings and support from a named midwife are of importance.