Genetic Counseling and Consultation
Genetic counseling involves meeting with a specialist in genetic counseling or prenatal diagnostician to review you and your partner's medical history, along with family histories to determine if the pregnancy is at increased risk for any genetic diseases.
Reasons for genetic counseling include:
- Advanced Maternal Age ( > 35 years old at the time of delivery)
- Previous history of a fetus born with birth defects, mental retardation, or genetic disorders
- Family history of birth defects, mental retardation, or genetic disorders
- Medication Usage in pregnancy
- Abnormal Blood screening testing (AFP, triple screen, quadruple screen)
- Certain ethnic groups (Ashkenazi Jews, Italians, African-Americans, Southeast Asians, and others) may be at increased risk for certain genetic disorders
Perinatal consultation can be scheduled by your doctor/midwife to review your medical and obstetrical history and determine a management plan for your pregnancy. This is useful if you have pre-existing medical problems or have experienced complications in previous pregnancies.
Planning prior to pregnancy can be very valuable when women have certain medical disorders or have experienced previous pregnancy complications. Medications taken are reviewed along with their risks during pregnancy to determine if changes should be made. Questions are answered as to how the medical problems will affect the pregnancy and how the pregnancy will affect your medical problems.