The outcomes of pregnancy and delivery in the infants with positive karyotype test results for Down syndrome manifestation

Down syndrome is considered as one of the most important causes of abortion. Considering to the high prevalence of this syndrome, it is necessary to study the frequency of non-abortion and awareness of the reasons and motivations of parents who do not attempt abortion and finally how these types of pregnancies result. This study was performed with aim to evaluate the outcomes of pregnancy and delivery in the infants with positive karyotype test results for Down syndrome.

This retrospective study was conducted in 2019 on 330 women with a positive fetal karyotype test results for Down syndrome between 2013-2018. Demographic information, parents’ decision and final outcome of pregnancy were recorded in a researcher-developed checklist. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 16). P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The results showed that 97% of parents with positive karyotype test result for Down syndrome decided to terminate the pregnancy, and 3% kept the fetus that Down syndrome occurred in them. Before the initiation of the study, 30% of these infants had died and 70% of them had survived up to mean of two years. Most of the parents who kept the babies showed feelings of regrets due to the economic problems and treatment challenges.

Given the incidence and sensitivity of the current plan of medical abortion, these results can confirm the validity of this approach and eliminate social sensitivities.