Preconception Blood Work

Venus201 · August 2013

Did you do it? What all did you check for? I have an appointment next week for a full physical, but wondering if I should also check for genetic stuff while I'm there. Does anyone have a link or list of all the things you can test for (genetically speaking)?

Also, blood work = sucktastic

Valie18 · August 2013

They tested to make sure I my immunization for German measles worked.

katiebartton · August 2013

Yep they typically won't do any type of genetic testing unless you have a strong family history of it. I actually just had my physical so they did the normal. Cholesterol, blood sugar, and were going to Check my thyroid but I had that checked already by my OB

yurmom · August 2013

With DD1 we didn't do any preconception counseling/testing; however, my niece was diagnosed/ died since that time of Spinal Muscular Atrophy so we talked with a genetic counselor. We did the Counsyl test which checks for 100+ conditions/diseases. I still haven't heard the final word yet but I'm hoping insurance will cover it since we are of childbearing age and I have the family history. Out of pocket it is $300, but they advertise it's usually only $100 with insurance.

Venus201 · August 2013

njbabymama said:

they might not do this for everyone, but because of my family history, i have already been tested for the full panel of blood tests (sickle cell, tay sachs, etc) - all of it is covered by insurance (or should be) but it's usually done after you're already pregnant. the dr told me if they did it up front they wouldn't have to check when i get pregnant because they would know already what (if anything) to look for.

if you don't have any family history of genetic diseases, the regular panel should be sufficient, but if there are some things in your family, you may want to also meet with a geneticist (which is what i'm doing). DH is getting a complete dna workup, they will find every possible thing, even the super rare, less than 1%, diseases.

So you did it up front, yeah? Before pregnancy? That's what I want to do, I think.

AlwaysAforeigner · August 2013

Some ethnic groups are advised to perform genetic testing. I am an ashkenazi jew and I had to perform a panel of genetic testing to make sure that I'm not a carrier of certain genetic diseases.

AllyTales · August 2013

ashleysyn2 said:

I had my regular physical blood work done. Nothing else.

This.

yurmom · August 2013

Yes @ghostmonkey the prices I mentioned are per person.

@venus201 If you are worried about a genetic condition you can always go talk to a genetic counselor and they can discuss your family history, risks, tests, and costs.

Thank you @packerfan4life The disease is truly devastating and horrific. I strongly advocate for people of childbearing age to consider carrier testing as being a carrier is quite common (1 in 40). If two carriers have a child there is a 25% chance the baby will have SMA and 80% of these children will die before their second birthday. There is no treatment or cure. I know my brother and SIL would've gladly paid $100 (or possibly $300) a piece in hindsight to find out they were carriers of this disease instead of watching their baby pass away.

::steps off platform::

SweetTea420 · August 2013

I requested the genetic testing for Cystic Fibrosis

dragonfly711 · August 2013

I had my yearly physical and asked if we should do anything before getting pregnant. dr said no. ( I was also 37-38 at the time) just told me to start prenatal vitamins.

We ended up getting pregnant few months later. I called and them they did routine blood work nothing else. No genetic testing either.

I had my thyroid checked by an endocrinologist because I thought I might be having thyroid issues due to symptoms I was having.

Only genetic testing they were going to do was blood tests later on in the pregnancy due to hubby having Downs Syndrome on his side of the family.
Unfortunately we had a MC at 11 1/2 weeks.

StacyJYay · August 2013

With regard to genetic screening, it depends. It's highly recommended for people of certain ethnic backgrounds. For example, there's an Ashkenazi Jewish genetic panel that's routinely run for those of Eastern European Jewish ancestry.

My genetic counselor (we had to see one for my first pregnancy, as both my husband and I are Ashkenazi) also recommends that everyone -- regardless of ethnic background -- undergo genetic testing for cystic fibrosis, SMA, and Fragile X.

Unrelated to genetic testing, you might also consider asking for a CBC (to check iron) and a check on your vitamin D level.

tippytoes06 · August 2013

StacyJYay said:
With regard to genetic screening, it depends. It's highly recommended for people of certain ethnic backgrounds. For example, there's an Ashkenazi Jewish genetic panel that's routinely run for those of Eastern European Jewish ancestry.

My genetic counselor (we had to see one for my first pregnancy, as both my husband and I are Ashkenazi) also recommends that everyone -- regardless of ethnic background -- undergo genetic testing for cystic fibrosis, SMA, and Fragile X.

Unrelated to genetic testing, you might also consider asking for a CBC (to check iron) and a check on your vitamin D level.

My RE tested for cystic fibrosis, SMA and Fragile X as part of my initial bloodwork yesterday. I think it's standard practice for this particular office to do so.

Venus201 · August 2013

This helps. We don't have any genetic concerns on either side that I know of so I may just test for cystic fibrosis, SMA, and Fragile X. You can test for all those things pre-pregnancy, right?

Valie18 · August 2013

HappyFeet34 said:

Valie18 said:

They tested to make sure I my immunization for German measles worked.

Sorry to highjack this post but I'm curious about this. I've never had the chicken pox, I got the vaccine when I was about 16 and the booster the year DH and I got married because my mom was flipping out about what if I were to get KTFU we have no idea how long the shot lasts, and it's true they didn't at the time. Is this something I should ask my doctor about? Your answer made me start thinking that may be a concern. Also, I'm bad and haven't had a physical in like 3 years, just annual OB/GYN visits.

3 years! Go have a physical!

I think it is worth mentioning to your doctor. I know that mine asked if I had had chicken pox (I had) so that line of questioning was dropped. Chickenpox is everywhere - if having chickenpox while pregnant is dangerous to a baby the doctor will want to check that your immunity is strong enough.

I don't know about chicken pox, but if a mother has German measles in her first trimester there is a good chance of losing the baby or the baby being blind, deaf, or having life-threatening disorders. It's probably worth mentioning that I live in an area with communities of people who don't vaccinate so there was a real threat of me contracting it unless I was immune. The test results said that I am immune enough so I got the go-ahead.

StacyJYay · August 2013

Venus201 said:

This helps. We don't have any genetic concerns on either side that I know of so I may just test for cystic fibrosis, SMA, and Fragile X. You can test for all those things pre-pregnancy, right?

Yes, you can test for all of these pre-pregnancy. Your doctor may or may not recommend additional testing based on your ethnicity and that of your partner. These tests are just simple blood tests for you. CF and SMA are autosomal recessive disorders, meaning your partner will only need to be tested if you test positive as a carrier. Fragile X is X-linked dominant.

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