Reproductive behaviour following spontaneous loss of a pregnancy after prenatal diagnosis

One hundred and fifty-eight women of advanced maternal age with complete follow up who experienced spontaneous fetal loss after prenatal diagnosis were studied for reproductive behaviour as well as prenatal diagnosis in a subsequent pregnancy. A higher rate of subsequent pregnancies amongst women who experienced an early spontaneous abortion after chorionic villus sampling (CVS) was expected compared with women who lost a pregnancy later during pregnancy after amniocentesis. Of the 92 women who underwent CVS in a previous pregnancy, 57 (62%) became pregnant again. Of the 66 women who underwent amniocentesis in the pregnancy that ended in fetal loss, 34 women (52%) had a subsequent pregnancy. The cumulative incidence of subsequent pregnancies was significantly influenced by maternal age but not by parity or the method of prenatal testing. Most women who decided on a new pregnancy opted for prenatal diagnosis. There was a preference for amniocentesis if the patient had previously undergone CVS. However, the reverse was not the case.