Is Seeing a Genetic Counselor Right for You?

As you begin to plan a family, you may wish to consider undergoing genetic counseling, particularly if either you or your partner has any family history of birth defects or recessive disorders. The following are some tips to help you determine whether genetic counseling is appropriate for you and your partner.

• Explore the health history and birth-related problems of the families of both prospective parents through four generations.
• Talk to living family members and seek out family documents or stories that may shed light on medical histories. Ask about the conditions we can screen for:
  • Cystic Fibrosis
  • Dwarfism
  • Huntington Disease
  • Marfan Syndrome
  • Sickle Cell Anemia
  • Tay-Sachs Disease

• If you begin to see or suspect a pattern, seek further information from any public health records that may be available, such as hospital and provider records, birth certificates, death certificates, school health histories or military records.
• Share any information collected with your provider, and ask whether genetic counseling or DNA banking may be appropriate for you.

We have genetic counselors available through our High-Risk Pregnancy Center. For more information, please call us at (314) 996-6000.