Genetically acquired disorders and characteristics can easily be transferred from the parents to offspring. Genetic counselling is an endeavor to educate the parents and make them aware of the impacts of their genetic composition on their future offspring. Diseases such as erythroblastosis fetalis result from the incompatibility between the father’s genetic composition and the mother’s, resulting in to a fetus with hemolytic anemia. It is therefore imperative that the parents are counselled on the various genetic characteristics which can result into problems on their born children. Genetic counselling is the process by which a parent is counselled so as to make proper decisions pertaining the hereditary complications and the risks involved (Heller). It is a communication process in that it involves the process of exchanging the medical facts with the parents, enlightening the parents on the possible hereditary contributions to specific conditions, undertaking and interpreting of genetic test result, and advising the parents on the available options of preventing future complications (Heller).
Obstetricians Undertake the various processes of ensuring that the child given birth to is not affected by the genic characteristic of the parents. This involves having a conclusive communication between the obstetricians and the parents. Counselling does not only involve the verbal talking, but also include various tests and interpretations. DNA testing on diseases and characteristics such as Cystic fibrosis, Fragile X, ovarian cancer, Rhesus factors, among others are some of the factors considered in genetic counselling (Heller). For example, in the cases of the parents should undergo genetic counselling to ensure that their rhesus antigens are compatible. For example, in a case where the father is rhesus negative and the mother is rhesus positive, the fetus will be rhesus negative because the rhesus antigens are controlled by a dominant gene. The antigens will then move from the mother’s blood to the fetus resulting into hemolytic anemia, a condition known as erythroblastosis fetalis. With genetic cancelling, such conditions can be detected in early stages thereby preventing some cases of infant mortality.
Work Sited
Heller, Karen. "Genetic counseling: DNA testing for the patient." Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical Center) 18.2 (2005). Web. 23 May, 2016.
