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Preexamination and Postexamination Assessment of Parental-Fetal Bonding in Patients Undergoing 3-/4-Dimensional Obstetric Ultrasonography

Departments of Radiology (D.H.P., S.C., D.D., T.R.N.), Family and Preventive Medicine (K.H.), and Reproductive Medicine (A.H.), University of California, San Diego (S.G.), La Jolla, California USA; Pochon Cha University, Seoul, Korea (E.-K.J.); and St Vincent de Paul Village, San Diego, California USA (R.N.).

Address correspondence to Dolores H. Pretorius, MD, Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, 9300 Campus Point Dr, 7756, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA. E-mail: dpretorius{at}ucsd.edu

Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a change in parental bonding and couples’ attitudes toward their fetus after undergoing 3-/4-dimensional ultrasonography (3D/4DUS). Methods. Sixty-five fathers and 124 mothers were asked to fill out a maternal-fetal attachment questionnaire relating to how they felt about their fetus before and after 3D/4DUS and to mark on a line indicating their feelings about the ultrasonography experience. In addition, 135 parents filled out a positive feelings questionnaire consisting of 5 sections assessing their feelings about the fetus. The 3D/4DUS examination included rendering of the fetal face, limbs, and thorax. Results. One hundred forty-two patients filled out all questions and were analyzed for the total attachment score. The difference of the total score for the maternal-fetal attachment questionnaire before and after 3D/4DUS had a z value of 5.6 for all patients and was statistically significant (P < .0001). In analyzing each question, 5 were found to have a statistically significantly different score for women, but only 2 were found so for men. The scores for the line, before and after 3D/4DUS, showed a significant difference for men but not women. The women studied did not show a change using this instrument because their median response was at the maximum measurement before their sonograms. The positive feelings questionnaire showed a statistically significant change for women in all sections but for men in only 2. Conclusions. Parents have a change in attitude regarding their fetus after undergoing 3D/4DUS. Mothers showed an increase in bonding to their fetus after 3D/4DUS in more categories than fathers.

Key Words: fetus, 3-dimensional • maternal-fetal attachment • maternal-fetal bonding • ultrasonography, 3-dimensional

Abbreviations: MFA, maternal-fetal attachment • 3D/4DUS, 3-/4-dimensional ultrasonography • 2DUS, 2-dimensional ultrasonography

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