Find out who needs carrier screening
When you’re trying to conceive, you might be wondering who needs carrier screening. Our Austin fertility doctors will tell you that everyone does. The average person carries three to five disease-causing genetic variants, but most have no symptoms of the illness. However, when two people who carry the same genetic variant have a child, the risk of their children having that genetic disorder is 25% to 50%.
Carrier screening empowers you to take control of your family-building options. If testing reveals a risk of an inheritable genetic condition, many people take advantage of preimplantation genetic testing (PGT-M). This allows your physician to transfer an unaffected embryo, effectively eradicating this disease from your family.
Carrier screening provides you with peace of mind. You’ll know you’re doing everything to protect your future children from being born with a preventable genetic condition. In some cases, insurance covers the cost of the test. It may also cover any counseling you need to understand your results and the next steps of treatment.
The recommendations about who needs carrier screening
Some people know that genetic conditions run in their families, but 80% of babies born with a genetic condition have no family history of their disorder. Carrier screening can unlock the mysteries of your and your partner’s genetic makeup, so you can protect your future children from inheriting a genetic condition that you may not even know you carry.
Carrier screening is a smart choice for anyone planning a family. This is especially true for people who have a family history of genetic illness and those who have a risk of carrying a genetic condition due to their ethnicity.
Because most people today are the product of generations of genetic intermingling, and almost anyone can be a carrier of a genetic condition, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of Medical Genetics now recommend that all people of reproductive age know their carrier status.
Start the process to decode your genetics
When you decide you are ready to start carrier screening, just let your physician know. Our Austin fertility center can walk you through the process of getting your blood or saliva sample to the partner reference lab for testing.
The testing process
- Your physician can order the test for you.
- Your physician or nursing team will tell you how to collect your sample.
- The team will send your sample to a partner reference laboratory for testing.
- At the lab, experienced geneticists will evaluate the sample.
- Within three weeks, your physician will receive a detailed report with your results.
- A genetic counselor at the reference lab is available to help you understand your results.
Contact us today if you would like to learn more about who needs carrier screening.