![]() |
JOURNAL TOOLS |
eTOC |
To subscribe |
Submit an article |
Recommend to your librarian |
ARTICLE TOOLS |
Reprints |
Permissions |

YOUR ACCOUNT
YOUR ORDERS
SHOPPING BASKET
Items: 0
Total amount: € 0,00
HOW TO ORDER
YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS
YOUR ARTICLES
YOUR EBOOKS
COUPON
ACCESSIBILITY
GENETIC TESTING - PART I
Minerva Biotecnologica 2000 March;12(1):5-14
Copyright © 2000 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA
language: English
Genetic testing and prenatal diagnosis
Dallapiccola B., Novelli G.
Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Diagnostica per Immagini, Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”, Roma, Istituto CSS-Mendel, Roma
The ability to detect prenatally all major chromosomal aberrations and many disease-genes has been a tremendous aid to genetic counselling. Knowledge of the fetal genotype is useful primarily in making reproductive decisions. If a disorder is diagnosed early in pregnancy, the couple has the opportunity of aborting the fetus and beginning again. Fortunately, in about 97% of prenatal analyses, the fetus is found not to have the disorder in question. This findings relieves anxiety for the parents, who can then anticipate a newborn no more at risk for abnormality than a random birth. Many couples at substantial risk of having a child with a serious defect would refrain from further pregnancies unless assured that the risk could be reduced. Thus, because of the availability of fetal diagnosis, life is given to children who would otherwise never be conceived.