Should we consider preconception genetic screening?

Planning to have a baby requires a great deal of planning. Often, women trying to conceive focus on prenatal vitamins and healthy eating. As the medical director of our Kansas fertility center, Dan Gehlbach MD encourages you to consider the benefits of preconception genetic screening.

What is preconception genetic screening?

Before you become pregnant, preconception genetic screening can provide important details about genetic disorders you could pass on to your children. Genetic disorders occur when one or both parents have mutations for a specific disorder. Offered through Counsyl, screening identifies over 175 diseases, including cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease.

The results of preconception genetic screening will indicate whether you or your partner carries certain genetic diseases. You could be a carrier of a genetic disorder without having any symptoms. If you and your partner are carriers of the same genetic disorder, you have a one in four chance of having a child with that disorder.

Important considerations about preconception genetic screening

Although becoming pregnant and having a baby creates a host of unknowns in your life, preconception genetic screening provides answers to certain important questions. Our Kansas fertility center expert recommends that our patients think about the following points:

• Preconception genetic screening enables you to determine your actual risk of having a child with certain genetic disorders.
• Anyone with a known family history of genetic disorders should plan to have preconception genetic screening done.
• Although some testing can be done during pregnancy, preconception genetic screening allows you to plan ahead and consider alternative fertility options such as IVF with preimplantation genetic diagnosis.
• The process for preconception genetic screening is simple. You and your partner each provide a blood sample. In about two weeks, you should have the results.

For hopeful parents, a healthy child is the primary focus. Dr. Gehlbach and our staff offer advanced fertility treatment to ensure that our patients can attain this goal. Contact our Kansas fertility center to learn more about preconception genetic screening.