The Tentative Pregnancy: How Amniocentesis Changes the Experience of Motherhood (Paperback)

~ (Author) "It troubles me when a pregnant woman, suspecting a bout of beer drinking may have harmed her baby, aborts, saying, "It'll only set us back..." (more)
Key Phrases: chorionic villi biopsy, early amnio, medical encouragement, Downs Syndrome, Tay Sachs, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

As more and more women over 30 are having children, amniocentesis, primarily used as a test for Down's syndrome, is becoming a routine part of prenatal care. In this book, Barbara Katz Rothman shows how this simple procedure can alter the way we think about childbirth and parenthood and force us to confront agonizing dilemmas: what do you do if there is a "problem" with the foetus? What kind of support is available if you decide to bring up a handicapped child? How can you come to terms with the decision to terminate a wanted pregnancy?

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1993 edition (June 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393309983
• ISBN-13: 978-0393309980
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #351,711 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A social commentary, not a reassurance, February 3, 2000

By A Customer

I bought this book in the middle of some very difficult decisions whether to have an amniocentisis following a positive MSAFP. The premise, that for many women pregnancy is tentative for the first trimester because of fear of miscarriage and for the second trimester because of fear of negative results from the amnio really fits my experience. I was hoping this book would provide some validation and reassurance. It didn't. It is very much a social commentary which subtly criticizes women for wanting to control whether or not to bear a child with a disability or fatal deformity. I was hoping to have some validation of my experience, and instead I felt judged and criticized.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amniocentesis . . . The Road To Abortion, February 29, 2000

By	Maria Lynch (New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While not exactly what I expected I found this book to be rather eye opening. The premise of the author, while she wrote about 100 or so women she interviewed, was that amniocentesis is a test that, if the results are bad, leads to abortion. In other words, this test gives women the opportunity to selectively abort children who are seen as otherwise imperfect in today's society. Whether or not you support the test, this book gives you much food for thought. A word of caution though, this may not be the right book to read if you are looking for the right answers to an amniocentis you are contemplating right now. It may be better read while you are not pregnant.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Food for thought, July 20, 2003

By A Customer

This book is the result of a study.
It is about the expierence women had after getting back a flagged test or after getting a routine amniocentesis based on age or history. It is not a book about whether or not you should have an amnio it is about what your choices are and how women dealt with their results.
This books will make you think about the abuse that routine prenatal tests can cause a woman and hopefully it will help you deciede whether or not you want the test done.
I think this is a well writen book.