Translating epigenetics into antenatal care in Australia: communicating risk and intergenerational health in practice

Abstract

The scientific field of epigenetics–and its social and ethical repercussions–has been met with a mixture of cautious optimism and scepticism from social scientists. While acknowledging the possibilities of contributing to a more biosocial account of health, critical scholars are concerned about how this knowledge could be used to intensify risk narratives for certain groups, particularly pregnant people. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews with 32 pregnancy-related healthcare professionals, this article addresses a gap in knowledge about how epigenetics is translated into antenatal care in practice. We found that although healthcare professionals were very attuned to ideas about the transmission of health and reducing risk exposures, epigenetics was not explicitly discussed with pregnant people. Given this finding, we explore practitioners’ reflections on how the concept of ‘epigenetic risk’–as a still-nascent way of scientising future risk for maternal and child health–might fit into existing pregnancy care frameworks and the management of risk. We consider how it might contribute to discussions of health and risk more generally, particularly for reframing ideas of reproduction, responsibility and future health. We suggest any future translation should be attuned to the complex navigations of risk as practiced in pregnancy care.