Jewish Genetic Screening: Know Your Risks and Your Options
At the Jewish Genetic Disease Screening Program at Boston Medical Center, preconception screening and genetic counseling are offered to those at increased risk for passing certain genetic disorders onto their children.
Services begin with a personalized risk assessment followed by counseling and screening for a minimum of 19 genetic diseases commonly carried by people of Jewish descent. The team remains up-to-date on the field of Jewish genetic screening in order to ensure patients are receiving testing for a thorough panel of diseases, as well as Tay-Sachs enzyme testing for the maximum sensitivity. If test results indicate that one or both partners carry a hereditary disease, education and support needed to make informed reproductive decisions will be provided.
Services include:
- Personalized risk assessment
- Carrier screening
- Reproductive counseling
- Discussion of reproductive options for carrier couples