Our genetic counselors are Master's degree-trained health care professionals who have graduated from an accredited genetic counseling program. Genetic counselors work in a variety of settings to provide education and counseling in many areas of the medical field including prenatal genetics, preconception, infertility and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis.
The process of genetic counseling involves obtaining and interpreting family, medical and pregnancy histories to assess risk for genetic conditions or birth defects, educating patients about the inheritance of genetic disorders found in their families, identifying and offering appropriate screening and testing options to determine a patient's risk for having a child with a genetic condition such as Down syndrome, guiding patients through the process involved in deciding whether to pursue screening or testing, and helping patients and their families cope with a prenatal diagnosis of a genetic condition or baby with birth defects.
At Piñon Perinatal, our genetic counselors speak with patients about first and second trimester screening and diagnostic testing options for a variety of genetic disorders. We educate patients about potential increased risks related to maternal health conditions or exposures during pregnancy, and meet with patients whose babies are found to have birth defects to address risks and testing options.