Did you know that when a woman becomes pregnant her blood contains some of her baby's DNA. This means a blood sample from a pregnant woman. Can tell us the chance that her baby has certain health conditions like Down Syndrome.
These types of conditions most often occur by chance and are not inherited. most of the time will find that the chance the baby has one of these conditions is low. but even if the chance is high, we believe it's good to know this information about your pregnancy.
What kind of health conditions are included in the Counsyl Informed Pregnancy Screen?
The council informed pregnancy screen can tell you the likelihood that your baby has certain chromosome alterations. A chromosome is a large collection of information inside our cells. Which contains many pieces of DNA called genes. I like to think of a chromosome like a cookbook and each gene is like a recipe within the cookbook.
Our chromosomes contain thousands of genes or recipes. Then instruct our bodies how to grow develop and function. The typical number of chromosomes in ourselves is 46—23 from each parent. Our chromosomes are numbered from 1 to 22 and the final pair determine sex.
The most common chromosome alterations involve extra or missing pieces of information. Which can interfere with the body's typical development for example. Down syndrome is a condition that occurs because of an extra copy of chromosome number 21.
Another condition called trisomy 18 occurs because of an extra copy of chromosome 18. Chromosome alterations may cause physical or intellectual disability but the severity can vary depending on the alteration.
The entire list of conditions that can be included in this screen can be seen at council.com. Your doctor may only test you for a subset of conditions on the council informed pregnancy screen. So it's important to understand what's included in your specific screen.
What if the results are positive?
While most people will receive reassuring news some will get a positive result. Which means there's a greatly increased chance the pregnancy has a chromosome alteration. While the council informed pregnancy screen is highly accurate it's important to understand that if you receive a positive result.
The next step typically involves confirming the result with a medical procedure such as chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis. If you test positive we encourage you to speak with a member of our clinical team or your doctor about the next steps.
Can the Counsyl Informed Pregnancy Screen tell me the sex of my baby?
If you are interested in knowing the sex of your baby the council informed pregnancy screen can provide this information. As I mentioned earlier the final pair of chromosomes determine sex.
Women have two X chromosomes while men have one X chromosome and one y chromosome. The main reason to look at the sex chromosomes is because alterations in these chromosomes can cause certain health conditions.
Just like alterations in any of our other chromosomes for example. Turner syndrome is a condition that occurs because of a missing X chromosome. Again the entire list of conditions that can be included in this screen can be seen at council.com. You should discuss with your doctor which conditions are included in your specific screen you.
Does the Counsyl Informed Pregnancy Screen include screening for cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs disease or other conditions?
The council informed pregnancy screen is designed to detect conditions which occur by chance and does not screen for cystic fibrosis, tay-sachs disease, spinal muscular atrophy or other inherited conditions.
Screening for inherited conditions is included in the council family prep screen. Which looks at your and your partner's DNA rather than your baby's. Please seek counsyl.com for details about the family prep screen.
When should I have the Counsyl Informed Pregnancy Screen?
The council informed pregnancy screen can only be performed on a blood sample during pregnancy. It can be done as early as 10 weeks after the first day of your last period or eight weeks after conception.
What else should I know?
Well the council informed pregnancy screen is highly accurate it cannot eliminate the chance to have a baby with a chromosome alteration and any results you receive are only applicable to your current pregnancy.
If you have specific questions or concerns you may wish to speak with your health care provider or a local genetic counselor about all of your options. To find a local genetic counselor visit the National Society of genetic counselors at nsgc.org.
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