Motivations of women with sickle cell disease for asking their partners to undergo genetic testing

Paula Thompson Ross

Social Science & Medicine, 2015, vol. 139, issue C, 36-43

Abstract: Women with sickle cell disease (SCD) now survive well into adulthood, thus knowledge about their reproductive decision-making is becoming increasingly important to both social and medical audiences. Through in-depth interviews with 28 adult women with SCD, I explored their motivations for asking their partners to undergo prospective genetic testing. The analysis revealed several sources of motivation including participants' concerns about the potential physical suffering of future children; potential feelings of guilt and stigma; determining whether to enter or remain in an intimate relationship; and finally, their mother's lack of insisting on their father's undergo testing. These findings offer insight into the pre-conception reproductive decision-making behavior of women with SCD.

Keywords: United States of America; Reproductive decision-making; Women's health; Sickle cell disease; Genetic testing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:socmed:v:139:y:2015:i:c:p:36-43

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DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.06.029

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