BRCA Genetic Testing

I think that everybody should do a genetic test at a very early age in order to know what is going on with their genes. Even if a genetic test is positive, a genetic counselor, doctor, or other health care professional trained in genetics can help an individual or family understand their test results. These professionals can also help explain the incidental findings that a test may yield, such as a genetic risk factor for a disease that is unrelated to the reason for administering the test, so they can clarify the implications of test results for other family members. Doing a genetic test is crucial because on an expanded panel, certain cancer can be entirely reversed with an early intervention like dietary

As you can see genetic testing is very important and can affect a child's and parents lives for the better and the worst. Children all over the world have serious genetic diseases that affect their life on a daily. Some of these diseases are Achondroplasia, Down syndrome, and Turner's syndrome. Many believe genetic testing is a good way to test for these genetic conditions before the child is even born, but others think that it can harm the baby very badly and even cause a miscarriage, so they choose not to do this kind of testing. Knowing about the most serious genetic diseases is very important for expecting parents to be informed as well as being

i. Amniocentesis is one type of prenatal testing that can be used. The doctor takes a sample of amniotic fluid from the mother and tests the fluid for a mutation in FMR1.

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis is the most advanced test, first fertilizing an embryo in a laboratory setting, and checking it for any diseases before implanting it in the mother to gestate ("What are the Types of Genetic Tests?").

The debate for parents to be able to choose or have it be mandatory for babies to have their genes scanned for future health issues is a pointless yet valid debate. There are so many debates over this certain topic because people feel as if they need to know what their child might have in the future so it can be "fixed" by treating it early. It is a valid debate because it could help save lives and suffering.  People say it should be added to the other 30 mandatory tests every new born should have to do.

Genetic testing negatively affects MILLIONS of lives. Those test results may trigger bad emotions. Testing may cost too much for the average person. Also, these screenings are not full body reviews.Considering these genetic testing should be prohibited from being offered from agencies for everyone's life.

Your child’s safety is always a parents number one priority and concern. A parent knows when their child is not acting right or when there is something abnormal about their health. Even before the baby is born, there are preventable measures the parents can undergo to make sure there is nothing wrong with their child. Genetic testing or counseling are preventable measures parents can take before considering having children or while pregnant. Genetic counseling consists of amniocentesis, chorionic villas sampling, ultrasound and fetoscope. The most common testing is an ultrasound where sound waves to capture live images and video, which help doctors view the inside of your body. An amniocentesis is genetic testing on the fetus by taking cells

Normal cell functions include the growth and division for damaged tissue replacement. However, regulation of normal cell functions can be damaged and cancerous cells can be developed. Only five to ten percent of breast of ovarian cancer are the result of inherited genetic genes such as BRCA1 or BRCA2. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are categorized as tumor suppressor genes that support in repairing damaged genes. Therefore, carriers of mutation of BRCA1 or BRCA2 cannot repair the damaged DNA appropriately and obtain increased risk of cancer such as breast and ovarian cancers in females. Other types of cancer may have been affected by mutation of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Approximately, twenty to twenty five percent of inherited breast cancer are affected

Genetic amniocentesis is performed with the intention of testing for chromosomal abnormalities. During this the loose skin cells that are floating around in the amniotic fluid are collected, then sent to a lab, and from there they will be grown or cultured for a few weeks. After the skin cells have had a chance to grow to a respectable size, the lab will test for chromosomal issues. For this particular type of amniocentesis, the procedure is done while the woman is between her 15th and 19th week of pregnancy. Maturity amniocentesis is done on the amniotic fluid to test for the maturity of the fetus’ lungs and whether they will be able to function during birth. Maturity is done during the 32nd and 39th week of pregnancy when the doctor has concerned about the women being able to carry to term (Harms, 2004). Other reasons amniocentesis may be used during the third trimester “is your healthcare provider may recommend the procedure if your membranes have ruptured prematurely to assess for uterine infections. Amniocentesis may also help determine the severity of fetal anemia in babies with Rh disease and assist your physician determine whether the fetus requires life saving blood transfusions”(American Pregnancy Association,

Loss of privacy, psychological disorders and testing errors are risks of genetic testing. However, certain genetic testing methods, such as carrier screening and preimplantatioin diagnostic testing can help parents prevent potential diseases their child may get. I would say it shoule not be implemented in healthcare today. At first, I found on the Internet that the cost of genetic testing can range from under $100 to more than $2000. As I tend to stereotype these types of advanced technology as expensive and hard to implement, I am wondering if the under $100 testing can get any effective results. Thus, people from higher socioeconomic status are more likely to be benefited from genetic testing, not lower SES people. Secondly, gene carriers

Furthermore, by testing yourself, you are testing your whole family. This is because many genetic diseases are inherited. Thus, testing yourself you are testing your parents, testing yourself you are testing your kids, and testing yourself you are testing your siblings. If you have some red flags in your genes, then this might also be of concern in other family members. And if it is a disease that is best treated when identified early, you are not only treating yourself, but your whole family whom it might not be too late for either. Also when you test yourself, you test not only for your current family, but your future. The “major arguments favoring testing yourself for serious genetic disease concerns childbearing” (Pence, Chapter 16, Page 305). If you have a serious genetic disease that if inherited can be detrimental for the child, then don’t have a child. The parents should sacrifice making a baby so that the cycle does not continue. Overall, the good of preventing another child with a serious genetic disorder outweighs the harm of finding out the

For instance, from a BRCA gene test, high risk patients can learn early whether he/she carries an inherited BRCA gene mutation and receive an estimate of the personal risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Genetic counseling is an important part of the BRCA gene test process (Petrucelli, Daly, & Feldman, 2013).

There are tests stated in in the Wall Street Journal story that people now have to take on their newborns to test if their kid has any diseases. The tests are just to see if the newborns have any diseases that can be prevented before they get the diseases and to help further the development of treatments for rare diseases. These tests just mainly test for the most major disorders and some states have additional tests to take in addition to those. Like how in California it’s required to get your baby tested for Hemogloblin H disease, even though it can cause anemia and they’re uncertain if early diagnosis is helpful to the baby.

Prior to the birth of the child, an amniocentesis can be performed to determine certain aspects of the baby’s health. A sample of the amniotic fluid is gathered from around the baby. This test is commonly performed so that it can be discovered if the child has any type of disorder or abnormality. It is commonly used to see if the baby will be born with Down syndrome. This way the parents are prepared once the baby is born. A fine needle is inserted to extract the fluid with the use of an ultrasound. The amniocentesis is able to detect several hundred genetic diseases and chromosomal disorders. It can also determine any neural tube defects that may be present. It is not able to specify the severity of any of the illnesses that may show as being present.

Genetic testing is the basis of a large amount of medical research and advances we see in the media currently. Genetics is a very current matter and is at the forefront of modern biology advancement, especially genetic tests and their ability to discover inherited traits and link genetic disorders. The wide range of possibilities of genetic testing results in constant media attention, some leading to controversy. Genetic testing brings large amounts of information to light about a patient’s condition, but with this information may come difficult decisions for the patient or their family. These decisions may be based on small amounts of information with low certainty levels (Lea, Williams and Donahue, 2005).