Genetic Counseling & Prenatal Genetic Testing

At our Prenatal Wellness Center, our medical team, including genetic counselors, helps families manage pregnancies at risk for complications.

Your genetic counselor will play many roles in your care, from educator, to advocate, to support person. Our genetic counselors have specialized training in human genetics and counseling services.

What We Do

Genetic counseling is a service meant to help you and your family understand medical risks, understand your options, and choose the course of action most appropriate for you. Couples who visit a genetic counselor may already have an ongoing pregnancy or may be planning a pregnancy for the future.

Prenatal genetic counseling is appropriate for:

• Women 35 and older at the time of delivery
• Women who have had abnormal results from prenatal screening tests
• Women with an ongoing pregnancy with a known fetal abnormality
• Couples with a family history of a genetic condition or birth defect
• Couples who have experienced multiple miscarriages
• Individuals who are planning pregnancy and have questions about their genetic risks

At the Prenatal Wellness Center our Maternal Fetal Medicine specialists perform diagnostic testing for specific disorders via:

• Chorionic villus sampling (CVS). This is performed from 10 to 14 weeks gestation and is associated with a 0.2% risk for miscarriage.
• Traditional amniocentesis. This is performed beginning at 15 weeks gestation and throughout pregnancy and is associated with a 0.2% risk for miscarriage.

Other commonly used screening tests include:

• Noninvasive prenatal screening
• Carrier screening
• Targeted ultrasound performed by perinatal sonographers
• Maternal serum screening to evaluate for open neural tube defects

Please ask your health provider for more information about our services. Self-referrals are accepted.