Pregnancy and Informed Consent

You may have heard it’s important to have “informed consent” prior to receiving a medical treatment. This article will explain what informed consent is and steps you can take to make informed decisions about your health and pregnancy.

What is informed consent?

Informed consent is “the process in which a health care provider educates a patient about the risks, benefits, and alternatives of a given procedure or intervention.” The goal of informed consent is to “educate” patients “to make informed choices.” The state of Illinois’ Medical Patient Rights Act states that a patient has a right “to receive information concerning his or her condition and proposed treatment.”

Many medical organizations offer guidelines on how medical professionals can best work with patients on informed consent. These guidelines include:

Nature of Treatment – The patient should be told exactly what the procedure or treatment will involve.
Benefits & Risks – The patient should be informed of the beneficial goal of any treatment as well as any potential risks or side effects the treatment may cause.
Alternatives – The patient should be told about alternatives to the treatment and the risks and benefits of those alternatives, including refusal of the treatment.
Confirm Patient Understanding – The advised medical treatment and alternatives should be explained in a way that is understandable to the patient. Patients should be able to ask “questions about the proposed treatments, benefits, and risks.”

If a health care provider does not reveal information that would have changed the patient’s mind about agreeing to a treatment, it could be a violation of informed consent law.

When you visit Waterleaf Women’s Center for a pregnancy screening, our staff will walk you through every step of the appointment. The information you receive at your appointment will also equip you to ask the right questions to any future physicians you see about your pregnancy.

Our ultrasound service will inform you of the gestational age, location, and viability of your pregnancy. Our licensed medical professionals can also explain what carrying, adoption, and abortion entail. No matter what pregnancy decision you are considering, the ultrasound is a necessary step to inform you of the nature of your pregnancy so that your decision is an informed decision.

Next step

Waterleaf is your first step when facing an unplanned pregnancy. We will serve you with compassion and without judgment. All our services are free and do not require insurance. Call or text to make an appointment at 630-360-2256 or visit waterleafwc.org.