Med school research calls for a rethink of routine prenatal screening

Dr Panagiota Nakou, Lecturer in Medical Ethics at the Medical School, has recently published a new article in Clinical Ethics, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal published by Sage Publications.

Her article, titled ‘Empowering women’s choice in the new era of non-invasive prenatal testing methods: Opting for routine perinatal care information over routine screening’, re-examines the role of routine prenatal testing in promoting women’s reproductive autonomy.

In the paper, Dr Nakou argues that the routine offering of prenatal screening may inadvertently undermine genuine autonomous decision-making. She suggests that, rather than routinely offering tests such as non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), healthcare systems should first provide high-quality counselling, enabling women to reflect on their values and preferences before deciding whether to undergo testing.

Dr Nakou explains: ‘Autonomous decision-making amidst the challenges of new screening and testing methods requires more than providing accurate, balanced, and non-directive information’. She therefore proposes a reorientation of prenatal care, where routine, high-quality counselling comes before the offer of screening, allowing women to explore their values, expectations, and concerns in advance. In this way, decisions about testing are more likely to reflect what genuinely matters to them, rather than being shaped by the structure and timing of the offer itself.