UNDERSTANDING

Reproductive Genetics

Reproductive genetics is health care that focuses on genetic risks or conditions that can be passed from parent to child through their genes during a pregnancy. Genes contain instructions for our traits, including aspects of our health. Everyone has a few genes that don’t work correctly due to small changes (mutations) within them. Most times, these mutations do not affect our health, and we don’t even know we have them. Our child can randomly inherit these mutations from us in the genes we pass down, which may or may not cause our child to have health problems.

Reproductive Genetics by the Numbers

>1 out of 4

individuals who undergo
reproductive genetic testing are found
to be carriers of a genetic condition.

10-15%

of couples experience infertility,
with more than half of these cases due
to an underlying genetic issue.

3%

of all babies are born with a birth defect
in the United States each year, and about
20% of birth defects are caused by genetic
or hereditary factors.

Are Reproductive Genetic
Services Right for Me?

Most pregnancies go well, and babies are born healthy. Some couples have a higher risk to have a child with a genetic condition, have problems in a pregnancy or experience infertility due to genetic causes. Couples in these and other situations are right for reproductive genetic services. If possible, the best time to seek reproductive genetic counseling is before a pregnancy, so you can review your family history, discuss your reproductive genetic testing options and make a plan with your doctors for your pregnancy. Women with a high-risk pregnancy often need a maternal-fetal medicine specialist for prenatal health care. A genetic counselor can partner with other specialists to coordinate genetic testing/prenatal procedures and share medical recommendations that are tailored to your situation.

Insurance

Your visit may be covered by your health insurance. For a list of insurance plans that Genome Medical is in-network with, visit our insurance page.
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Self-Pay

We offer an affordable self-pay option for our patients who prefer to pay out-of-pocket. Pay just $179 for a genetic counseling session.

Pay just $179

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This cost does not include genetic testing. Any genetic testing will need to be paid for separately. Learn more about insurance coverage for genetic counseling and genetic testing.

Here are some reasons why someone
might need reproductive genetic care:

A couple has had 3 or more miscarriages, stillborn children or infertility with no known cause after other test results were normal

A man has a family history of a cousin with cystic fibrosis (CF), a genetic condition, and wants to know his chances to have a future child with CF

A couple has a child with sickle-cell anemia, a genetic blood condition, and would like genetic testing for this in their next pregnancy

A woman is age 40 or older and pregnant, which carries a higher risk for having a child with certain chromosomal abnormalities (like Down syndrome)

A woman has prenatal screen test results that show her pregnancy has a higher risk to have Down syndrome

A couple goes for a prenatal ultrasound test and learns that the baby has a cleft lip and two holes in the heart, which could be signs of a genetic disorder

What to expect from a reproductive genetic counseling session:

Genome Medical’s board-certified genetic counselors meet with many women and couples to help them learn more about their reproductive genetic health. An initial reproductive genetic counseling appointment may happen before a pregnancy (preconception consultation) or during a pregnancy (prenatal consultation).

At your first reproductive genetic counseling appointment, a genetic counselor will carefully review your and your partner’s personal and family health histories and any risk factors. This helps determine if genetic testing is right for you and ensures you are being offered the most appropriate test. If you are being offered genetic testing, your genetic counselor will help you make a decision about genetic testing after discussing the risks and benefits with you.

At a later appointment, your genetic counselor will discuss and interpret your test results, uncovering unique insights for you. He or she will take your results and all your other medical information to develop a personalized care plan for you. All of this will be tailored to you and your situation, and may also be relevant to other family members. Your genetic counselor will also work with your regular doctor to offer additional consultation throughout a pregnancy as needed.

Speaking with a certified genetic counselor from Genome Medical can help you learn how your genetic health could impact your pregnancy or future children that you’re planning. This includes talking about pregnancy genetic testing, which may include procedures that are done during a pregnancy. If you or your partner has a genetic risk factor, a genetic counselor can help you consider genetic testing or other options to help keep your baby as healthy as possible.