Can health conditions in women be genetic and if so, how can you detect them?

It is said that women are more prone to certain health conditions that are related to genetics and the best way to find out is through various tests.

Genes impact the health of women to a large extent. If women can become aware of this fact, then a large number of anomalies that are genetic can be prevented. The blueprint of the body is genes. If a woman is healthy then her offsprings too can be healthy. If you’re planning of having a family, then there are conditions you should be aware of beforehand, you might have to go through an IVF treatment, or other fertility procedure so it’s best to be prepared. Read on for some conditions and tests you can do.

• Chromosomal aneuploidy in expectant mothers leads to an incorrect number of chromosomes in a cell. This error can lead to children being born with birth defects due to this abnormal number and structure. A common defect is Down syndrome. There are non-invasive tests that can detect this early. Testing is also available for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Fragile ‘X”, Haemophilia etc.

• Haematological disorder screening helps detect sickle cell disease and Thalassemia.

• Repeated loss of a pregnancy – tests can detect what the cause of this was. It could be an abnormal number of chromosomes etc. and care can be taken to protect the pregnancy in the future.

• Failure of implantation during IVF- leads to miscarriages. This can be caused by a family history of a genetic disorders.

• Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer- Predictive tests can be carried out.

It is important for women to be aware of genetic disorders and their repercussions. Those women who are educated and understand this must take due precautions to safeguard their offspring. Those who are not educated enough to understand this must be exposed to information and training programs, because women are the creators of the future generation and they must ensure their health and wellbeing.

In the modern times today with advanced technology predictive tests can easily be done and must be availed by all the women in this target group!