Awareness of and attitudes toward congenital cytomegalovirus infection among pregnant women in Singapore

Abstract

Objective: To assess the level of awareness of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and attitudes toward prenatal CMV serologic testing among pregnant women.

Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to pregnant women who attended a specialist outpatient clinic at Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, between September and December 2010.

Results: Among 200 respondents, 40 (20.0%) were aware of CMV. Healthcare workers were more likely to be aware of CMV (odds ratio 6.91, confidence interval 2.14-22.30; P=0.001). Most respondents found it "very" or "somewhat" easy to adhere to standard guidelines for primary prevention of CMV. Among the respondents, 62.0% (124/200) would like to be given the option of prenatal CMV screening and 72.0% (144/200) were keen to be screened. On multivariate analysis, respondents who were keen to undergo serologic screening for CMV were not more likely to consider invasive testing or termination of pregnancy should the test results demonstrate primary maternal CMV infection.

Conclusion: Pregnant women who were keen to undergo CMV testing demonstrated attitudes toward invasive testing and termination of pregnancy that were not significantly different from those of women who would refuse testing. Patient choice and expectations should be considered in the implementation of preventive measures against congenital CMV.