Prenatal and Reproductive Genetics

At Baylor College of Medicine, our prenatal and reproductive genetic specialists are helping patients and their partners better understand their risk for a genetic condition, either in themselves or in their fetus, that can affect their ability to have a healthy pregnancy. We then help these couples navigate the genetic testing services available to evaluate those risks.

Our goal is to provide unparalleled reproductive and prenatal genetic care to patients and their partners and to support parents facing difficult care decisions when a genetic risk or fetal condition is found that affects the health of their fetus.

We partner with Baylor College of Medicine’s Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, one of the nation’s top-ranked genetics departments, to offer our patients the latest advancements in genetic screening, testing, and diagnostics.

Our patients receive expert guidance and compassionate care from board-certified medical geneticists and genetic counselors.

We are here to:

• Help patients and their partners understand the screening and testing options available to identify genetic conditions that can affect the ability to have a healthy pregnancy, and make decisions about which tests to have
• Help patients and their partners understand the screening and testing options available during pregnancy to identify risk factors for genetic fetal conditions, and make decisions about which tests to have
• Facilitate the genetic testing or screening desired
• Interpret test results
• Counsel and support patients and their partners so they can make informed decisions that are right for their family
• Collaborate with Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialists to provide prenatal care to patients who have genetic conditions themselves, as part of our multidisciplinary approach to the management of these high-risk pregnancies 

Before Pregnancy 

We offer comprehensive preconception services to help patients and their partners make informed decisions prior to getting pregnant including:

• Family history review and personalized risk assessment
• Screening, assessments, and genetic counseling prior to conception to determine if one or both prospective parents are at increased risk for passing on an inherited genetic condition or for a genetic disease that can affect their ability to have a healthy pregnancy, such as carrier screening
• Testing and counseling to evaluate genetic risks for patients and their partners undergoing fertility treatments with artificial reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization
• Pregnancy and medication review to discuss possible effects of medications or exposures during pregnancy

We also offer continuity of care during pregnancy, including prenatal services and other diagnostic testing at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women.

During Pregnancy 

Our genetic specialists are here to help all parents seeking evaluation of their pregnancy, including routine screenings for low-risk pregnancies, genetic testing for high-risk pregnancies, and evaluation of pregnancies where a fetal condition or genetic syndrome is present. An evaluation may include:

• Assessment of family history and genetic risk factors
• Screening for chromosomal abnormalities including non-invasive or cell-free prenatal DNA screening that screens for Down syndrome (trisomy 21), trisomies 13 and 18, sex-chromosome aneuploidy, and, in some cases, other genetic conditions
• Testing and screening for pregnancies with known or suspected increased risk for a genetic condition or birth defect in the fetus
• Chromosomal Microarray Analysis (CMA), a comprehensive prenatal genetic test for patients undergoing an amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS)
• Diagnostic workup for the cause of fetal birth defects, including genome-wide sequencing (exome/genome sequencing) or multi-gene sequencing panels

Baylor College of Medicine genetic specialists provide care at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women and its community clinics, through the Harris Health System at Ben Taub Hospital, and at The Centers for Children and Women.