Preventing Your Children from Inheriting Genetic Disease, and Reducing
the Risks for Chromosomal Abnormalities
Everyone has special genetic traits that run in the family - grandma’s curly hair, dad’s green eyes, and mom’s slender wrists. These have nothing to do with a person’s health.
But sometimes, there are negative genetic traits that can be
passed down. For some families, genetic abnormalities such as the breast cancer
genes (BRCA1/BRCA2), Cystic Fibrosis and Spinal Muscular Atrophy can be passed
down the family line.
Some 7.9 million children are born each year with a birth
defect. For more than half of these defects, the cause is unknown.
Other families, though, have uncovered their genetic
predispositions. If you are aware of
genetic abnormalities in your family line, you may want to consider
preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD, as it is sometimes called. These predispositions can be screened for
prior to attempting pregnancy, as well.
PGD refers to determining whether an embryo possesses a dominant gene or pair of recessive genes prior to implantation to the uterus.
PGD refers to determining whether an embryo possesses a dominant gene or pair of recessive genes prior to implantation to the uterus.
Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) can screen for chromosomal
abnormalities like Down Syndrome, which may not run in families, but are
increased in women who are older, who have had miscarriages, or those who have
had an abnormal fetus or child.
So if you’re looking to start a family, what does this mean?
