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Genetics & Biotechnology vocabulary · Bioethics and Regulation

Genetic counseling

Meaning in genetics & biotechnology, with examples

nounCommon term

In genetics & biotechnology, genetic counseling means: A service in which a trained professional helps people understand a genetic condition, the chance that it affects them or their family, and their testing options.

In Turkish: genetik danışmanlık

How it is used

Used in clinical genetics, prenatal care and cancer clinics. Counseling is offered before and after genetic testing. In the US and UK, genetic counselors are a separate profession. Counselors aim to be non-directive: they explain the options but leave the decision to the person.

Example sentences

  1. The couple had genetic counseling before deciding on prenatal testing.

  2. Genetic counseling helped her understand what a variant of uncertain significance means.

Common collocations

  • genetic counseling session
  • pre-test genetic counseling
  • refer for genetic counseling
  • genetic counselor
  • genetic testingMedical or research tests that examine a person's DNA, chromosomes or genes to find variants linked to a disease, a health risk or ancestry.
  • informed consentPermission that a person gives freely to take part in research or to have a test or treatment, after the purpose, risks and benefits have been clearly explained.
  • carrierA person who has one copy of a recessive disease-causing variant, usually without symptoms, and who can pass the variant on to their children.
  • pedigreeA chart that shows the members of a family across several generations and which of them have a particular trait or condition.

More terms: Bioethics and Regulation

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