Characteristics of fragile X relatives with different attitudes toward terminating an affected pregnancy.

Female relatives of individuals with fragile X syndrome were asked whether they would terminate an affected pregnancy. Women were grouped according to how they answered this question and compared according to demographic characteristics, knowledge about the syndrome, perception of their risk for having an affected child, factors they considered important in family-planning decisions, and the magnitude of individual problems they perceived to be associated with raising an affected child. Important differences were identified between women willing to consider abortion and those who would not abort and between women who indicated what they would do and those who were unsure.