Humangenetische Beratung

With the increasing possibilities of genetic testing in clinical practice, genetic counseling becomes more and more important. Such counseling involves an attempt to answer questions and solve problems in connection with a possible genetic disorder. Reasons for genetic counseling are, among others, a possible genetic disorder in a child, a parent or a relative, advanced parental age, consanguinity, multiple pregnancy loss, stillbirths, infertility, and possible mutagenic or teratogenic exposure. Prenatal diagnosis, predictive and heterozygosity testing may have implications which differ from those of conventional diagnoses in medicine. The decision for testing should be made informed after genetic counseling. An overview of the aims, practical aspects and possible reasons for genetic counseling is provided.