Reproductive choices of haemophilia carriers

Abstract

The actual reproductive choices made by slightly over a quarter of all the carriers of severe or moderate haemophilia in Sweden were investigated and compared with those of a randomly selected age-matched group of women who were not carriers of haemophilia. In general, the 105 carriers had the same number of children as other women of similar age. However, carriers who did not choose prenatal diagnosis (PD) often abstained from further pregnancies after the birth of a haemophilic child, and they had significantly fewer children than the remainder of the carriers, as well as fewer children than women in the control group. Logistic regression analysis showed choice of PD to be correlated to a positive attitude towards abortion following PD and a family history of haemophilia. Carriers who have experienced the complications of haemophilia or its treatment appear to be more in favour of PD than women whose haemophilic children have received modern treatment without complications.