Providence Metropolitan Area
Genetic Counseling
The information from genetic testing can have a big impact on your life. Genetic counselors are trained to help you understand your risk of getting a disease related to genetics or of having a child with an inherited (genetic) disease, such as sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, or hemophilia. A genetic counselor can help you make well-informed decisions. Ask to have genetic counseling before making a decision about testing. Genetic counseling may involve:
- Discussing what problems an inherited disease may cause.
- Teaching you and your partner about how a specific disease is inherited or passed from you to your child.
- Discussing whether and how to test for an inherited disease before you become pregnant or before your child is born.
- Discussing the likelihood that you and your partner will have a child with an inherited disease, based on test results.
Genetic counseling can help you and your family:
- Understand medical facts, including what causes diseases, how a diagnosis is made, and what you may be able to do to help yourself manage a disease.
- Understand how your family history contributes to the development of a disease.
- Understand what you can do to help prevent a disease.
- Learn about caring for a family member who has a genetic disease, including getting referrals to specialists or joining support groups.
Genetic counselors are trained to help you and your family make informed decisions that are right for you. They are sensitive to physical and emotional aspects of these decisions. Your privacy and confidentiality are carefully protected.
Local Search Results in Providence
- Treatment Option OverviewSurgery is usually the initial treatment for children with medulloblastoma, both to confirm diagnosis and to remove as much tumor as is safely possible.WebMD Public Information from the National Cancer Institute
- Low-Penetrance Predisposition to Breast and Ovarian CancerBackground Mutations in BRCA1,BRCA2,and the genes involved in other rare syndromes discussed above account for less than 25% of the excess familial risk of breast cancer.[ 1 ] Despite intensive genetic linkage studies,there do not appear to be other BRCA1/BRCA2-like high-penetrance genes that account for a significant fraction of the remaining multiple-case familial clusters.[ 2 ] These ...WebMD Public Information from the National Cancer Institute
- Major GenesIntroduction Epidemiologic studies have clearly established the role of family history as an important risk factor for both breast and ovarian cancer. After gender and age,a positive family history is the strongest known predictive risk factor for breast cancer. In most cases an extensive family history (more than four relatives in the same biologic line affected) is not present. However,it ...WebMD Public Information from the National Cancer Institute
- Description of EvidenceScreening for breast cancer decreases mortality by identifying and treating cases at an earlier stage.WebMD Public Information from the National Cancer Institute
- The Option of
Genetic TestingFactors to Take into Consideration in Offering Testing Indications for testing Experts recommend offering genetic testing when a risk assessment suggests the presence of an inherited cancer syndrome for which specific genes have been identified. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Policy Statement on Genetic Testing for Cancer Susceptibility proposes that genetic testing be offered ...WebMD Public Information from the National Cancer Institute
Other Top US Cities
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
©2005-2013 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.