Genetic Counseling

The story of evolution, the journey from apes to astronauts is by far the best way to prove the saying “truth is stranger than fiction” true. Things that were far beyond imaginations are at the reach of a hand today by the mercy of acience and technology.What was just a fantasy to our parents are a reality to the today’s generation. Any advancement comes with pros and cons. The duty of extracting the goodness of any innovation, harnessing it and putting it to good use is in our hands.  Increasing use of technology has certainly set the standards of health low. Long hours in front of the computer or the pollution due to increased machinery and the infinite health disorders are just examples of the same.

Birth of a new human being and its development from a single cell is a marvel of the nature. It is not a mere process of a origin but it is the chain of evolution associated with infinite emotions involving the parents and others. The anticipated arrival of a new life changes the days of everyone involved bringing in new responsibilities, hopes, smiles and tears. It is almost the dream of every couple to own a baby that is healthy wealthy and wise. Unfortunately there exist certain genetic disorders the baby can inherit without abet of any environmental factors but just by the genetic abnormalities in parents.

Genes are the fundamental building blocks of a chromosome, which cart the necessary information required for the biological regulation of that organism. A minute modification in one block or an alteration can change the fate of the organism forever. Many genetic diseases like Down’s syndrome; Huntington’s syndrome etc are observed.

Union of male and female gametes leads to the formation of a zygote which develops to be an infant. The genetic fate of this baby can be estimated by considering the genes of parents. About 3 percent of total births are affected by genetic disorders and unfortunately most of them can not be cured as per the developments in the field of medicine today.

So it becomes necessary that the expecting parents know if their child is going to be affected with genetic disorders and analyze the problems and solutions that come with it.

Genetic counseling is one such area that provides the opportunity to know about the genetic accuracy of the child before the child is even born or conceived. This is associated with information about the inherited disorders and advises that help people to choose a proper course of action by providing a medical outlook to the problem

Genetic counseling is the procedure which includes advices about patients, the menaces they are prone to, consequences of the disorder, chances of development and recovery, probability of transmission and also options available to manage or prevent it. Genetic counseling can also be done after the birth of a child. The work of a genetic counselor lies in explaining the impenetrability and complexities of having a genetic disorder, its recurrence taking into consideration the family history on genetic grounds. The genetic counselor estimates the risk of an affected pregnancy and educates the patient about these hazards and updates the patient of their options in case of any deformity. They explore the problems of the families at risk, interpret information about the disorder, analyze inheritance patterns and assess accessible testing options for the family. Genetic counseling not only is a scientific know-how about the disorder but also involves a counseling counterpart that engages discussion about the illness and ways to deal with it and is considerably instrumental in handling the emotional turbulences that are allied with the whole scene. This new vicinity of science has provided new hopes to the expecting parents to provide healthy future citizens.

One could consult a genetic counselor before conceiving as the possible errors can be rectified before conception considering the family history. For the parents of a baby with genetic disorder the counseling session facilitates them to deal with the trouble more easily as it provides a wider sight of what best can be done.

Genetic counseling though may be new and unusual will surely be one of the best ways to minimize the genetic disorders in future. And like any new revolution it also comes with controversies and ethical issues but it is necessary that every individual realizes and appreciates the vitality of this process in the birth of a new child as it makes remarkable differences in many lives. After all a healthy body and sound mind can work wonders!!

Samhita Raj
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