Academic Editor: Michael H. Dahan
Background: When a fetus is diagnosed with facial deformities, most
Chinese couples choose to terminate the pregnancy. However, these couples
commonly regret their decision after the termination of the pregnancy, display a
heavier degree of grief, and these feelings persist for a long time. The purpose
of this study was to investigate factors that influence parental pregnancy
decisions regarding fetuses diagnosed with a non-syndromic orofacial cleft
(NSOFC), and to provide the preliminary basis for a formulation of interview
outlines useful in further qualitative research in this area. Methods:
We collected medical records of 400 couples from the obstetrical units of a
women’s hospital in China whose fetuses were diagnosed with Orofacial clefts
(OFCs) from January 2013 to July 2019. After excluding those records reporting
chromosomal or other abnormalities, 311 cases were included in this study. After
univariate analysis, factors that may have affected the parental pregnancy
decision were analyzed using binary classification regression analysis.
Results: Among the 311 couples, 71.7% (223/311) decided to terminate
the pregnancy, whereas 28.3% (88/311) decided to continue. The registered
residence, family history of NSOFC, maternal high-risk factors that may lead to
the fetus suffering from NSOFC, maternal age, paternal age, doctor’s suggestion,
prenatal diagnosis, and first diagnosed gestational week all influenced pregnancy
decision makings (p