Understanding Genetics and Pregnancy:
Genetic Counseling at Lancaster General
When you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, you’ll do everything possible to give your newborn his or her best chance for a healthy start.
If you are a woman with health concerns or a family history of genetic conditions, the sooner you assess those risks and take precautions, the better chance you’ll have for a successful pregnancy.
Genetic counseling at Women & Babies Hospital is one of the best ways for an expecting mother to understand the full scope of her situation, share the concerns she has about her pregnancy, and receive guidance from medical professionals to make healthy choices during pregnancy.
“We have two empathetic, well-trained counselors who are very good at investigating and evaluating a patient’s family history,” says Philip Bayliss, MD, Medical Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists at Women & Babies Hospital. “For prepregnancy counseling, we can often see patterns of abnormalities before a woman achieves pregnancy, which help determine her risk.”
They specialize in pregnancy-related counseling for genetic conditions, such as cystic fibrosis, kidney disease or chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome.
Counselors meet with the patient for about an hour to review medical records and three generations of family medical history. They understand that not everyone has detailed knowledge about their family’s health. But even with limited information, they are able to create a helpful picture of a patient’s risk factors.
“We don’t tell patients what they should or shouldn’t do,” says Karen Cutti, MS, CGC, one of the genetic counselors at Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists, along with Rachelle Gehr, MS. “We only try to help them decide what is the best plan for their pregnancies. We never try to convince people to do tests that they are not comfortable with.”
“We take a team approach to a patient’s care,” Dr. Bayliss says. After Karen or Rachelle review a case with Dr. Bayliss, he will summarize the findings for the patient, then work hand-in-hand with obstetricians, family doctors and midwives to provide the screenings, monitoring, education and care for mothers and their unborn babies to ensure the safest delivery possible.
If you think you would benefit from pregnancy or pre-pregnancy genetic counseling, talk to your doctor or obstetrician.
For more information about genetic counseling, you can contact Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists at 544-3514, or visit our Web page by
clicking here.