Genetic Testing Before Pregnancy | Infertility TV

Couples who plan their pregnancies have a unique advantage over “surprise” pregnancies: They can take steps to try to minimize health risks for their baby. One way to do this is through genetic testing.

Genes are small packets of information in our DNA that are passed on, or inherited, from each parent. These information packets provide instructions for the body to grow, function, and repair itself. Sometimes, genes will have errors which can cause severe disease or abnormalities in a child. These errors are known as gene mutations.

Parents who have a gene mutation but who do not have a disease are called carriers. If both parents are carriers of a gene mutation for the same disease, there is a 1 in 4 chance that the child will develop the disease.

A common example of this is the disease cystic fibrosis. About 1 in 30 healthy people carry a mutation in their cystic fibrosis gene. If a child inherits the mutation from each parent, then the child will have the cystic fibrosis.

Fortunately, technology has given us a way to prevent these diseases. It's a two step process.

Step 1 is testing the parent’s blood to see if they are carriers of disease causing mutations. Most people carry between 10 and 20 mutations. There are several companies that offer testing for genetic diseases. These tests usually cover 100 to 150 genetic diseases. There is no test that can find all possible genetic diseases.

Step 2. If both parents are found to be carriers of a mutation for the same disease, they can attempt pregnancy using IVF. With IVF, embryos can be tested for these mutations and those embryos which are abnormal can be avoided.

Parental carrier screening is easy - it only requires a blood test and it's usually covered by insurance. If not, the cost is only twenty dollars.

To learn more, subscribe to Infertility TV now or visit our website at IVF1. If you are a current patient, let a nurse know that you would like to have genetic carrier testing.

www.ivf1.com

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