Pregnancy involves many uncertainties. However, there are methods to increase the chances for your unborn child to be healthy, such as proper diet and proper medical monitoring.
Genetic tests that identify carriers of genetic diseases are one of the key steps that can be taken even before pregnancy. People have recessive genes or gene changes that might not come to play during their lifetimes, but could affect their children.
Because recessive genes are responsible for many genetic diseases, the chance of having a child with a genetic disease depends on the genetic composition of the parents. If both parents carry the recessive gene, there is a 25 percent chance the child will have the disease. The Fragile X Syndrome is the only disease that does not occur this way. The mother can be tested to determine if she is carrying the Syndrome.
The first step is a blood test. If the potential parent is found to be a carrier, his or her spouse should also be tested. If the spouse is not a carrier, the possibility that the child will have an inherited disease is extremely low. If the spouse also carries the gene, the couple will be invited to the Center for Clinical Genetics to receive an explanation of the results and discuss the possibilities of a pre-natal diagnosis.
Different ethnic groups have a propensity for different genetic diseases. The severity of the diseases that can be tested and the age when the disease's symptoms start to appear are different for each disease. Once a couple requests genetic tests, they are informed about each test and can consult with the staff to choose the right ones. It is recommended that parents check for new tests and new data before each pregnancy.
For further information about dates, location and prices of the tests, please call:
+972 2 677 6995.
This Health Tip courtesy of Prof. Vardiella Meiner, Director of the Center for Clinical Genetics.