When Should You Consider Preconception Testing?
- Category: Fertility
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Is Your Future Family at Risk?
Here at Palm Beach Fertility Center, we believe that knowledge is power, not only for helping patients conceive but also for helping them prepare for parenthood. Preconception testing allows prospective parents to evaluate their chances of passing inheritable genetic diseases on to their children. This kind of information can make a major difference when deciding whether to conceive or at least help you be more prepared for such a possibility.
In theory, every prospective parent can benefit from preconception testing, and we advise all our patients to have it done. Some cases, however, make it an essential step instead of an optional one.
These include:
- Family history (including your own children) – Does your family have a medical history of ailments known to have a genetic component, such as hemophilia or sickle cell anemia? Do you already have a child afflicted with an inheritable genetic disease? If the answer to either question is yes, then you need to know exactly what’s going on in your own genetic makeup.
- Ethnic factors – Members of certain nationalities or ethnic groups have an elevated risk for certain inheritable genetic disease. Sickle cell anemia, for instance, is closely associated with African Americans, while those of Ashkenazi Jewish descent may be prone to Tay sachs.
- Medical and demographic indicators – Women over the age of 35 may have a higher risk of passing on genetic abnormality, and any woman under 40 with a high FSH level may also need genetic counseling and/or testing. If you have a history of failed pregnancies, genetic issues may be a contributing factor.
When in Doubt, Get Checked Out
Contact Palm Beach Fertility Center today to have Dr. Denker perform an infertility testing procedure. As they used to say on TV, “Knowing is half the battle!”