Prenatal counseling and parental decision-making following a fetal diagnosis of trisomy 13 or 18

Objectivesto evaluate parental decisions following a prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 13 (t13) or trisomy 18 (t18), prenatal counseling received, and pregnancy outcomes.study designsingle-center, retrospective cohort study of families with a prenatal diagnosis of t13 or t18 from 2000 to 2016.resultsout of 152 pregnancies, 55% were terminated. twenty percent chose induction with palliative care, 20% chose expectant management, 2% chose full interventions, and 3% were lost to follow-up. counseling was based on initial parental goals, but most women were given options besides termination. women who chose expectant management had a live birth in 50% of the cases. women who chose neonatal interventions had a live birth in 100% of the cases, but there were no long-term survivors.conclusionsthe majority of women who continue their pregnancy after a fetal diagnosis of t13 or t18 desire expectant management with palliative care. a live birth can be expected at least half of the time.