Genetic screening

• purpose is to detect if a person carries the alleles for a genetic disorder
• amniocentesis: at 14-16 weeks a sample of amniotic fluid taken using a needle and is tested
• chrionic villus sampling: at 8-12 weeks a sample of embryonic tissue is taken from placenta and is tested
• pre-implantation gene condition diagnosis: embryos created through IVF are tested before being implanted into uterus
• genetic screening can be used to identify carriers, detect abnormal alleles, used to find probability of having a child with disorder
• genetic counselling is used to give advice about risk of having baby with disease, treatment options, help couples decide if they want kids