Find clinic locations for Fort HealthCare and affiliated clinics and services in Jefferson County, Wisconsin.
Find services offered by Fort HealthCare and affiliated clinics in Jefferson County, Wisconsin.
We encourage you, our patient, concerned family member, or area employer to review Fort HealthCare’s information
We coordinate community education and health-related events and screenings for the Fort HealthCare service area.
Genetic counseling gives you information about health concerns that run in your family. It includes a review of family history, health history, pregnancy history, or all three. The goal of genetic counseling may be to:
Check your risk of having a baby with possible health problems
Explain what causes a health problem and how it is inherited
Discuss what tests are available
Figure out the outlook of a health problem
Manage your health needs
Treat a health problem
Counseling sessions usually last about an hour. But sessions can vary based on your specific health and family history. Genetic counseling can be given by:
A board-certified genetics doctor (clinical geneticist). This is a doctor with special training in genetics.
A genetic counselor. This is a person with special training (master's degree) in genetic counseling.
A healthcare provider with special training in genetic counseling in their specialty. For example, a provider who counsels on sickle cell disease, cancer, or differences found in the baby of a pregnant person.
You may get genetic counseling for any of the following:
Family history factors mean health issues that run in families. You may need this if you had a previous child born with:
Intellectual or learning disability
Neural tube defects, such as spina bifida
Chromosome problems, such as Down syndrome
Cleft lip or palate
Heart problems
Short height
Single gene defects, such as cystic fibrosis or phenylketonuria (PKU)
Hearing or vision problems
Mental health problems
Cancer
Other problems that could be considered genetic
You may also need this counseling if:
You have had multiple pregnancy losses. These include miscarriages, stillbirths, or infant deaths.
You or your partner has a genetic disorder, or any disorder seen in several generations.
Both you and your partner are carriers for a genetic disorder. This may be diagnosed by the birth of an affected child or by carrier screening.
The mother is a known or possible carrier of a genetic disorder, such as hemophilia.
Either you or your partner is a known carrier of a balanced chromosome problem.
These include:
Birth parent is age 35 or older at delivery
Birth parent’s blood tests show a higher risk for neural tube defects, Down syndrome, or trisomy 18
Abnormal prenatal test results or ultrasound exam
Baby or parent being exposed to potentially harmful things. These include alcohol, illegal drugs, certain chemicals, radiation, or infection.
Older age of the birth parent's partner at the time of conception
Infertility cases where either parent may have a chromosome problem
Couples that need fertility treatments to get pregnant. Or people donating eggs or sperm for fertility treatments.
Some health issues that affect the birth parent also may affect the fetus or child. These include:
Brain or mood disorders
Blood disorders
Autoimmune disorders
High blood pressure
Seizures
Alcoholism
Diabetes
Thyroid disorder
You may also need counseling for any of these things:
You are a member of certain ethnic groups. Or you live in areas where certain diseases are more common. These include cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs disease, sickle cell disease, and thalassemias.
You are very worried or fearful of having a child with a birth defect.
The pregnancy involves blood relatives or incest.
Your child may be at high risk for a genetic disorder based on your family or your personal health history. You may want to get premarital or preconception counseling.