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There are people who love babies, those who adore them or those who haven’t given a thought about progeny. But if you are planning on having a baby, irrespective of if you are going to be a mother or a father, certain responsibilities are unavoidable. You might say, yeah, there’s a lot of financial and medical preparation to be done and that you have already accounted for all of that. Sure, but have you accounted for your genes? Apart from the love, care and affection that you’re going to give your child, you also pass on your genes. What’s so wrong with that? Genes are responsible for the way you look, how your body functions and how healthy you are. Genes regulate everything, from your allergies to how strong your immune system is. Genes are passed on from a parent to a child and at times certain genes are responsible for causing diseases. The goal of prenatal genetic counselling and genetic testing is to help you understand if there’s any risk of you passing on these genes to your future baby.

That short bit of information doesn’t necessarily clarify everything. After all, you have been healthy for the better part of your life and so has your partner. What possible risk could come to your child? A child born to two healthy parents should be healthy as well. Of course, that is true for most cases. But did you know that over 80% of babies born with genetic disorders have no known family history of diseases.  Almost 30% of all birth defects have a known cause that can be explained and understood through prenatal genetic counselling and testing.If there have been no medical complications or birth defects in your family history, you might be among the standard 3-4% background rate for birth defects. However, there are few family lines where everyone is born pristine and has no health issues later in life. Genes have flowed down from your most ancient ancestors, have worked in tandem with environmental factors to make you the person you are today. If you take longer to recover from a common cold or you heal fast from cuts and bruises, it is all due to your genes.If you are looking to get married and planning for a baby soon, a prenatal genetic counselling can help in a lot of ways. Counselling might or might not be followed by testing. This is further confirmed by your genetic counsellor. A genetic counsellor will analyse your and your spouse’s family health history and let you know if you should go for prenatal genetic testing. If the test is done, your genetic counsellor can guide you through the test results and explain what it means for you and your future baby. Some common situations when genetic testing is advised to include the following 

Read Full Article: When Should One opt for Prenatal Genetic Counselling

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