PRENATAL GENETIC
SCREENING AND TESTING
Most babies are born healthy, however many parents-to-be are still
worried that something could go wrong before the birth of their child.
Written By: Sonika
Sachanandani-Phulwani
Genetic Counselor at Matar
& Rosset Healthcare Solutions
WHO IS AT A HIGHER RISK
FOR HAVING A CHILD
AFFECTED WITH A GENETIC
DISORDER?
• A woman age 37 or greater.
• A couple who already has a child
with a genetic disorder.
• A couple with a family history of
a genetic disorder.
Mar/Apr 2016
18
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF
TESTS THAT CAN BE DONE
DURING PREGNANCY.
THESE INCLUDE
1
SCREENING TESTS these
tests cannot give you definitive
information about the fetus, but
can tell if you are at an increased
risk of having a baby with birth
defects.
2
DIAGNOSTIC TESTS are
offered if any of the screening
tests show a high risk for fetal
abnormality. Chorionic Villus
Sampling and Amniocentesis test
the fetus’s genetic material and