Baby making has moved from the old traditional ways to modern means. If you plan to get pregnant through IVF, you should first consider going through genetic counseling and testing. Winter Park genetic testing experts at the Center for Reproductive Medicine will offer you and your partner testing for various inherent disorders that you could transfer to your future child due to medical disorders in your families.
Why should you go for genetic counseling and testing?
When you go for genetic counseling, your doctor will help you assess your risk of passing on a genetically inherent condition or disease to your unborn child. Together with your partner, you will understand your child’s potential risk of inheriting diseases present in your two families. The procedure that starts with your doctor taking a genetic profile of the two of you will help you know of your genes even though you do not have a known genetic predisposition to health issues.
Your doctor will go through your profile and evaluate the conditions and diseases your child will be exposed to. The specialist will also determine the disease’s chances, inheritance patterns, and predominance in your family history.
What does genetic testing do?
Your fertility expert will conduct genetic testing to determine whether your future child will inherit diseases and conditions that predominantly exist in your family history. The various tests your doctor will recommend for you and your partner will include:
- Sickle-cell anemia. This inherited blood disorder occurs when your body lacks enough healthy red blood cells that transport oxygen. To get the condition, you must inherit two genes from both parents. When you receive one normal gene from one parent and an affected gene from the other parent, you will develop a sickle-cell trait condition.
- Tay-Sachs disease. The disease is a rare genetic disorder that affects the brain and spinal cord’s nerve cells. When your child inherits the condition, you will witness slow developmental growth around six months of age. The child will most likely lose his ability to crawl, sit, or turn over. Tay-Sachs disease can also lead to premature death.
- Fragile X syndrome. This genetic condition causes your child to suffer from an intellectual disability. This genetic disorder is characterized by speech delay, hyperactive behavior, and anxiety. The physical features of the disorder include a prominent forehead and jaw, long face, and large ears.
- Cystic fibrosis. This life-threatening hereditary condition will affect your child’s digestive system and lungs. Cystic fibrosis will force your digestive juices, mucus, and sweat to become sticky and thick. When these fluids get sticky, they block the passageways, ducts, and tubes, resulting in recurring lung infections and fatty stool.
What should you expect during genetic testing?
When you contact your doctor for genetic testing, your doctor might request a blood sample, though some tests will only require a cheek swab. However, if you are already pregnant, your doctor will perform the screening through amniocentesis, a procedure through which your doctor inserts a hollow needle into your uterus to collect amniotic fluid he will use for the tests.
Genetic testing is vital if you have opted for IVF. It is beneficial both to you and your child, and will help you predict what to expect. Book your appointment today to have the experts answer all your questions.
