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Are you Planning a Pregnancy?
You’ll probably already be thinking about your pregnancy journey and wondering just how to make sense of all of the information and choices available to you! There are lots of things to consider – such as support for getting pregnant (if you need it), a healthy lifestyle for you & baby, your own medical conditions and the potential effects of medicines you already need to take, your rubella status, options for tests and screening for genetic conditions and vaccinations. All of these are important in ensuring the very best chance of a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. To help our patients at this exciting and important stage, we offer a wide range of Pre-Pregnancy Services to support you in making informed choices for you and your baby.
It’s Time to Think and Talk About…..
- Lifestyle factors – such as smoking, alcohol and taking non-prescribed drugs (these can all have a significant impact on the risk of miscarriage, growth restriction, stillbirth and birth defects and should all be stopped before trying to conceive and throughout your pregnancy)
- Diet and nutrition – certain foods should be avoided when trying to conceive or when pregnant; even with a healthy diet, it is important to take Folic Acid 400mcg daily for 8 weeks before and 12 weeks into the pregnancy to reduce the risk of spina bifida
- Your weight and fitness – being obese has significant risks to mother and baby and being overweight also increases your risk of hypertension and diabetes (it can also create difficulties in monitoring and scanning in pregnancy); similarly, if you have a very low body weight then you might be at an increased risk of growth restriction in your baby
- Whether you have risk factors for a complicated pregnancy or for a baby with birth defects or chromosomal abnormalities
- Rubella (the virus that causes German Measles) – this can cause devastating birth defects if contracted in pregnancy (sadly there is no treatment for it); vaccination before pregnancy ensures that both mum and baby are protected and so it’s really important to confirm your rubella status if you’re not sure
- Whether you’ve had a previous traumatic birth or a stillbirth, the likelihood of similar complications again, how best to screen and monitor the pregnancy and how and where to give birth
- Although there will be plenty of opportunities later on in your pregnancy to discuss important issues about prenatal screening, planned place of birth and planned mode of delivery, it’s also useful to consider these now at an early stage
- Finally, staying calm and relaxed as you plan your pregnancy and during your pregnancy is also important!
Carrier Screening
Today we know about over 7,000 genetic diseases, affecting about 1 in 100 pregnancies. Sadly, most of these lead to miscarriage, birth defects, early death or disability. Some are very rare but some of the most common diseases are caused by just one single gene defect, for example hereditary hearing loss, sickle cell anaemia and thalassaemia.
Most people don’t know they are ‘carriers’ for these genetic diseases and so, each year, parents are devastated when their child is born with a serious and life-threatening genetic disorder. Often there have been no previously affected family members. Carriers can be completely healthy individuals who, nevertheless, have a mutant version of a critical gene.
Screening tests are available to see if you and/or your partner are a carrier. If the results show that both prospective parents are carriers of a condition, there are several options:
- you could choose to have IVF and screen your embryos so that only healthy ones are implanted in the womb
- you could have genetic testing during pregnancy
- you could think again about pregnancy and some people then decide that adoption is the best choice for them.
Our Carrier Screening Tests look for 600 common single gene defect diseases. Testing is a very personal choice and our experts will help you decide whether it is right for you. Being armed with all the facts can support you to make informed choices about trying to conceive (or not), testing during pregnancy and how your pregnancy will be managed.
To learn more about carrier screening and our pre-pregnancy services, please click on the blue box below.
