Genetic testing and prenatal counseling provide parents-to-be with information to help them make more educated decisions about pregnancy. We offer pre-conception counseling, prenatal genetic counseling, and genetic carrier screenings so you can better understand your risk of having a child with certain medical conditions.
Pre-conception counseling gives you the opportunity to meet with a genetic counselor or maternal-fetal medicine specialist prior to pregnancy to learn about potential risks for a future pregnancy, and to clarify options prior to conception. If appropriate, you may receive suggestions for screening tests.
Prenatal genetic counselors review your family history, personal health information, age-related pregnancy risks and results of any blood tests or ultrasounds. We make complex medical and scientific information easier to understand and help you sort out your thoughts and feelings so you can make informed choices about what is best for you and your family.
Genes are structures inside our body’s cells that contain biological information. They determine our height, eye color, blood type and other characteristics that parents pass on to their children. Genes also determine our risk of developing some diseases and conditions. These can include:
Some of these traits are recessive—that is, they only occur if both parents pass on the gene for that condition. Neither parent may have the condition.
Other conditions may occur during cell development. We offer prenatal screenings during the first trimester of pregnancy to assess the risk for these conditions.
Prior to or during pregnancy, we use blood tests to screen parents to determine whether they have a higher or lower risk of having a child with certain genetic conditions. Screenings we offer include:
Rochelle's OB/GYN referred her to Lancaster General Health Physicians Maternal-Fetal Medicine for a 19-week ultrasound that would reveal whether the twins were boys or girls. The last thing they expected was to learn that something was seriously wrong.
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