Consequences of the test results for parents and child

The possibility of prenatal tests sometimes poses psychologically stressful questions for expectant parents. Nowadays, a lot is possible, but not everything makes sense. Since 2010 it has been a legal requirement that an intensive consultation with the doctor is carried out before prenatal tests are carried out and after the results are received.

The implementation of possible prenatal tests has different consequences for each parent couple individually, whereby everything is possible from no therapy at all to abortion. Therefore, the doctor’s consultation must in any case deal with the general risks for malformations and diseases, which clinical pictures are possible and which consequences the diseases can have. In addition, the physician should explain the individual risks with the involvement of the expectant parents with regard to age-related or genetic damage.

Then the prenatal tests should be discussed, what possibilities and limitations they have, what risks they involve and what diagnostic alternatives are possible. Many expectant parents are not aware of the psychological effects of knowing or not knowing about a possible disease. Before agreeing to a prenatal test, it is essential to clarify whether you absolutely want to know the diseases of the unborn child and, above all, what consequences will be drawn individually.

There is a general “right not to know”, i.e. one has the right to refuse the offered tests or not to be informed about already made diagnoses. No result of a prenatal test is directive.This means that an illness does not necessarily result in an abortion. Many couples take advantage of additional pyscho-social counselling. The law also stipulates a cooling-off period of at least three days, which must be waited for after the results have been reported. If there is a medical indication, it is still legal by law to perform abortions in later stages of pregnancy.

Costs and cost absorption

As part of routine examinations in normal pregnancies, some tests are performed, including three ultrasound examinations. The health insurance usually covers all costs associated with a normal pregnancy. These include: Prenatal diagnostics that go beyond routine procedures must be covered by the parents themselves.

Blood tests for other potential pathogens such as toxoplasmosis and chickenpox are also recommended. Other ultrasound procedures can also be used for this purpose, which vary in price. A color Doppler ultrasound costs around 50€, but a 4D ultrasound can cost up to 250€ extra.

The health insurance only covers additional prenatal diagnostic services if there is an urgent medical indication. The health insurance also covers abortion due to a medical indication. For pregnant women older than 35, additional invasive measures are paid for by the health insurance company. The risk of malformations and diseases of the child increases with age, especially the risk of trisomy (presence of 3 chromosomes instead of only 2). Amniocentesis (amniocentesis) and chorionic villus biopsy (examination of the placenta tissue) are covered by health insurance companies for those over 35 years of age.