{"id":7368,"date":"2020-02-20T17:41:48","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T17:41:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/?p=7368"},"modified":"2020-02-20T17:41:50","modified_gmt":"2020-02-20T17:41:50","slug":"should-you-speak-to-a-genetic-counselor-before-getting-pregnant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/should-you-speak-to-a-genetic-counselor-before-getting-pregnant\/","title":{"rendered":"Should You Speak to a Genetic Counselor Before Getting Pregnant?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Choosing to start a family can be a complex\ndecision for many. You need to balance your desire to have a baby with an\nassortment of real-life concerns about raising one. For some, a real concern is\nthe risk of passing on a genetic disorder to their child. If this is an issue\nfor you, a genetic counselor can be helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Genetic or \u201chereditary\u201d\nconditions are diseases that run in families. If you or your partner has a\nparent or grandparent with one of these types of conditions, there is an increased\nchance that your baby is predisposed to developing it as well.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/GettyImages-1084167322-1.jpg\" alt=\"couple meets with a genetic counselor at Jamaica Hospital\n\" class=\"wp-image-7370\" width=\"393\" height=\"262\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/GettyImages-1084167322-1.jpg 724w, https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/GettyImages-1084167322-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/GettyImages-1084167322-1-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 393px) 100vw, 393px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Genetic counselors are\nspecialists that can help you understand the causes of genetic conditions,\nwhat types of screenings and diagnostic tests are available to you, and what your\nchances are of having a baby with a genetic condition. In addition, genetic\ncounselors can help potential parents deal with how genetic conditions can affect\nyour family emotionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Genetic counselors can help\ndetermine the likelihood of your baby developing a wide range of conditions,\nincluding:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Single\ngene disorders, such as cystic fibrosis, sickle-cell anemia, Tay-Sachs disease\nor hemophilia<\/li><li>Chromosomal\nabnormalities that can lead to conditions such as Down syndrome<\/li><li>Complex\ndisorders such as heart defects, spina bifida, or cleft palate which can be caused\nby a combination of genetic predispositions and environmental factors <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>There\nare multiple factors that can increase a person\u2019s risk of passing along a\ngenetic disorder, including: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>A family history\nof a genetic disorder<\/li><li>A prior child with\na genetic disorder<\/li><li>One parent with a\nchromosomal abnormality<\/li><li>Advanced maternal\nage (35 or older)<\/li><li>Advanced paternal\nage (40 or older)<\/li><li>Multiple\nmiscarriages or prior stillbirth<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To help\nprepare for your appointment, a genetic counselor may ask you to collect the\nmedical histories of you and your partner\u2019s parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles,\nand siblings, including a history of birth defects in your family. You may also\nbe asked to provide a history of all other known medical conditions in your\nfamily, the age at which your family members were diagnosed and of any deaths\nresulting from these conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are planning a pregnancy a\ngenetic counselor can help you assess your risk-factors, review testing\noptions, provide education and resources, and help you make informed decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To make an appointment with a genetic counselor at Jamaica Hospital&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/clinical-services\/ob-gyn\/womens-health-center\/\">Women&#8217;s Health Center<\/a>, please call 718-291-3276.<\/p>\n<p class=\"disclaimer\">All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.  Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page.   You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter.<strong>  PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.<\/strong> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Choosing to start a family can be a complex decision for many. You need to balance your desire to have a baby with an assortment of real-life concerns about raising one. For some, a real concern is the risk of &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/should-you-speak-to-a-genetic-counselor-before-getting-pregnant\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[1611,1795,202,283,42,94],"class_list":["post-7368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-prenatal-care","tag-cystic-fibrosis","tag-genetic-counselor","tag-genetic-disorder","tag-jamaica-hospital","tag-pregnancy","tag-prenatal-care"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7368"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7368\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7371,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7368\/revisions\/7371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}