Why and what is Genetic Counseling?

Genetic counseling is useful to any woman, either before or during pregnancy, who is worried about the danger to her unborn baby posed by a number of situations.

• A family history of genetic disease or birth defects
• A chromosome problem associated with advanced maternal age such as Down syndrome
• Exposure to potentially harmful sub¬stances,
• Two or more unexplained miscarriages or a previous baby with a birth defect.

Likewise, families probing for answers of the manifestation of a genetic condition or birth defect in a family member can look for genetic counseling and testing to calculate the probability that other family members will be affected. Far more than just testing, the genetic counseling process offers education about human inheritance and information about spe¬cific disorders of apprehension to a family.

Moreover, prenatal tests of fetal health before birth can now forecast earlier and with even greater accurateness whether there is a probability of an inherited disorder or birth defect.

Nevertheless, it is not always easy to make a decision about when to use this expertise, how to infer the results, and what course of action to take. Families dealing with the likelihood of an inherited disorder or birth defect in an unborn baby, or confronting the reality of a child or adult who is already affected, need the help of skilled individuals, medical geneti¬cists and genetic counselors to ascertain a diagnosis and educate about the disorder, explaining the potential risks to other family members, choosing a course of action, and coming to terms with their deci¬sion. This process is called genetic counseling.