A study for women's choices on pregnancy and prenatal testing

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25283017
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Gender
• Research Institution: Meiji Gakuin University
• Principal Investigator: TSUGE Azumi 明治学院大学, 社会学部, 教授 (90179987)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 菅野 摂子 電気通信大学, 学内共同利用施設等, 准教授 (60647254) ; 田中 慶子 公益財団法人家計経済研究所, その他部局等, 研究員 (50470109) ; 白井 千晶 静岡大学, 人文社会科学部, 准教授 (50339652) ; 渡部 麻衣子 東京大学, 総合文化研究科, 助教 (60736908)
• Research Collaborator: ISHIGURO Mari 明治学院大学, 社会学部, 実習助手 ; IHARA Chikoto 国立成育医療センター, バイオバンク, 非常勤研究員 ; NIKAIDO Yuko 国立大学法人奈良先端科学技術大学院大学, 研究技術員
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 出生前検査 / 意思決定 / 質問紙調査 / インターネット調査 / インタビュー調査 / 生命倫理 / 生殖技術 / ジェンダー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To investigate women's experiences of their pregnancies and prenatal tests, we conducted three researchs as follows: 1) A questionnaire survey in the metropolitan area in 2013, including open ended responses (valid responses 378, with a response rate of 39.5%), 2) A nationwide internet survey in 2015 (valid responses 2,357, with a response rate of 26.9%), 3) Interviews with women who underwent at least one prenatal test, medical doctors and genetic counselors, and so on, focusing on their information, relations between a doctor and a patient, relations between a woman and her partner.
The results show that most women underwent frequently ultrasound test but only a few women underwent other prenatal tests. We analyze the change in women's attitudes to their pregnancies since 2003. They detected the pregnancy earlier using medical tools. More women describe their experiences of fertility treatment. However, the description about prenatal testing are similar to the result in 2003.

Free Research Field

医療人類学