Awareness and attitudes of pregnant women concerning genetic disorders and pregnancy termination in northeastern Iran
Abstract Background Genetic disorders are common in the Eastern Mediterranean region due to the high prevalence of consanguineous marriages. This study explores the awareness and attitudes of pregnant women in Mashhad, the biggest city in northeastern Iran, toward genetic disorders and the decision-...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SpringerOpen
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Egyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s43042-025-00635-5 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1823861993545662464 |
|---|---|
| author | Nafiseh Todarbary Abouzar Irandegani Mojtaba Meshkat Aida Gholoobi Tayebeh Hamzehloei |
| author_facet | Nafiseh Todarbary Abouzar Irandegani Mojtaba Meshkat Aida Gholoobi Tayebeh Hamzehloei |
| author_sort | Nafiseh Todarbary |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Genetic disorders are common in the Eastern Mediterranean region due to the high prevalence of consanguineous marriages. This study explores the awareness and attitudes of pregnant women in Mashhad, the biggest city in northeastern Iran, toward genetic disorders and the decision-making process regarding pregnancy termination. This study included 297 pregnant women across five hospitals in Mashhad, Iran. They filled out a checklist comprised of demographic data and questions about abortion decisions facing a child with various genetic disorders or undesired gender. Results The majority (75%) agreed with abortion in cases of anencephaly, while only 19% accepted it for undesired gender. Education level was associated with abortion agreement for various conditions, including cleft lip or palate, Alzheimer’s disease, Turner syndrome, cystic fibrosis, phenylketonuria, Huntington’s disease, autism, fragile X syndrome, and epilepsy. Additionally, the number of children was correlated with congenital blindness, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, autism, Proteus syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, anencephaly, mental retardation (MR), quadriplegia, and severe learning disability and mental health (LDMH). Age was associated with conditions such as epilepsy, congenital blindness, schizophrenia, and severe LDMH. Furthermore, a history of anomalies in previous pregnancies was linked to Klinefelter syndrome, Turner syndrome, dwarfism, and quadriplegia. The number of pregnancies was also correlated with severe LDMH, dwarfism, and Klinefelter syndrome, while job status was related to epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and dwarfism. Conclusion The findings emphasize the importance of comprehensive genetic counseling, informed decision-making in prenatal care, advocating for policy reviews, and culturally sensitive guidelines in Iran. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a958dbfc7ac148029b0ba81fe95f0485 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-2441 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Egyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics |
| spelling | doaj-art-a958dbfc7ac148029b0ba81fe95f04852025-02-09T12:40:09ZengSpringerOpenEgyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics2090-24412025-01-012611610.1186/s43042-025-00635-5Awareness and attitudes of pregnant women concerning genetic disorders and pregnancy termination in northeastern IranNafiseh Todarbary0Abouzar Irandegani1Mojtaba Meshkat2Aida Gholoobi3Tayebeh Hamzehloei4 Medical Genetics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical SciencesMetabolic Syndrome Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University Medical Genetics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Medical Genetics Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical SciencesAbstract Background Genetic disorders are common in the Eastern Mediterranean region due to the high prevalence of consanguineous marriages. This study explores the awareness and attitudes of pregnant women in Mashhad, the biggest city in northeastern Iran, toward genetic disorders and the decision-making process regarding pregnancy termination. This study included 297 pregnant women across five hospitals in Mashhad, Iran. They filled out a checklist comprised of demographic data and questions about abortion decisions facing a child with various genetic disorders or undesired gender. Results The majority (75%) agreed with abortion in cases of anencephaly, while only 19% accepted it for undesired gender. Education level was associated with abortion agreement for various conditions, including cleft lip or palate, Alzheimer’s disease, Turner syndrome, cystic fibrosis, phenylketonuria, Huntington’s disease, autism, fragile X syndrome, and epilepsy. Additionally, the number of children was correlated with congenital blindness, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, autism, Proteus syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, anencephaly, mental retardation (MR), quadriplegia, and severe learning disability and mental health (LDMH). Age was associated with conditions such as epilepsy, congenital blindness, schizophrenia, and severe LDMH. Furthermore, a history of anomalies in previous pregnancies was linked to Klinefelter syndrome, Turner syndrome, dwarfism, and quadriplegia. The number of pregnancies was also correlated with severe LDMH, dwarfism, and Klinefelter syndrome, while job status was related to epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and dwarfism. Conclusion The findings emphasize the importance of comprehensive genetic counseling, informed decision-making in prenatal care, advocating for policy reviews, and culturally sensitive guidelines in Iran.https://doi.org/10.1186/s43042-025-00635-5Genetic disordersNortheastern IranPregnancy terminationPrenatal care |
| spellingShingle | Nafiseh Todarbary Abouzar Irandegani Mojtaba Meshkat Aida Gholoobi Tayebeh Hamzehloei Awareness and attitudes of pregnant women concerning genetic disorders and pregnancy termination in northeastern Iran Egyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics Genetic disorders Northeastern Iran Pregnancy termination Prenatal care |
| title | Awareness and attitudes of pregnant women concerning genetic disorders and pregnancy termination in northeastern Iran |
| title_full | Awareness and attitudes of pregnant women concerning genetic disorders and pregnancy termination in northeastern Iran |
| title_fullStr | Awareness and attitudes of pregnant women concerning genetic disorders and pregnancy termination in northeastern Iran |
| title_full_unstemmed | Awareness and attitudes of pregnant women concerning genetic disorders and pregnancy termination in northeastern Iran |
| title_short | Awareness and attitudes of pregnant women concerning genetic disorders and pregnancy termination in northeastern Iran |
| title_sort | awareness and attitudes of pregnant women concerning genetic disorders and pregnancy termination in northeastern iran |
| topic | Genetic disorders Northeastern Iran Pregnancy termination Prenatal care |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s43042-025-00635-5 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nafisehtodarbary awarenessandattitudesofpregnantwomenconcerninggeneticdisordersandpregnancyterminationinnortheasterniran AT abouzarirandegani awarenessandattitudesofpregnantwomenconcerninggeneticdisordersandpregnancyterminationinnortheasterniran AT mojtabameshkat awarenessandattitudesofpregnantwomenconcerninggeneticdisordersandpregnancyterminationinnortheasterniran AT aidagholoobi awarenessandattitudesofpregnantwomenconcerninggeneticdisordersandpregnancyterminationinnortheasterniran AT tayebehhamzehloei awarenessandattitudesofpregnantwomenconcerninggeneticdisordersandpregnancyterminationinnortheasterniran |