Objective：The purpose of this study was to clarify husbands’ knowledge of prenatal testing and its associated factors, as well as their perceptions and behaviors regarding discussions about prenatal testing with their wives.

Methods：This was a cross-sectional study conducted using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire targeting the husbands of pregnant women. The survey included participants’ demographic characteristics, husbands’ communication attitudes toward their wives, role behaviors toward pregnant wives, attitudes toward disability, knowledge of prenatal testing, and perceptions and behaviors related to prenatal testing. After descriptive statistics were calculated, factors associated with husbands’ knowledge of prenatal testing were analyzed using the chi-square test and the Kruskal–Wallis test.

Results：Of the 50 questionnaires collected (response rate: 34.7%), 44 valid responses were analyzed. Regarding knowledge of prenatal testing, 19 respondents (43.2%) reported they “only knew the name,” 14 (31.8%) “knew nothing at all,” and 11 (25.0%) “knew the purpose and content.” The group that “knew nothing at all” had a significantly higher proportion of respondents who answered that they did not know whether their wife had undergone prenatal testing, compared to the other two groups (p = 0.0132). Those who “knew the purpose and content” had significantly higher scores for neglect in daily communication with their wife (p = 0.0188), and significantly lower scores in awareness toward disability (p = 0.0079), compared to those who “only knew the name.” Additionally, all individuals in the “knew the purpose and content” group agreed that “prenatal diagnosis should be discussed between spouses,” and 10 of them stated that “husbands should have their own opinions on the matter.”

Discussion：Since only a minority of husbands were knowledgeable about the purpose and details of prenatal testing, it is suggested that many husbands have limited opportunities to learn about prenatal testing and may have low levels of interest. As information on prenatal testing is increasingly provided to all pregnant women, it is necessary to include husbands as well as pregnant women in information provision from early pregnancy, or preferably before conception, in order to support informed discussions between couples. prenatal testing, husband, couple discussion