Children's Health

A carrier is a person who can pass a genetic disease on to his or her children but does not have the disease. Carrier identification is a type of genetic test that can help show whether people of high-risk groups (certain ethnic groups or a family history of a disease) for a specific disease are likely to pass that disease to their children. This type of test can guide a couple's decision about having children and making choices about diagnostic tests during a pregnancy.

An Ashkenazi Jewish genetic panel (AJGP), done on a blood sample, can see whether you or your partner is a carrier of gene changes that cause certain genetic diseases. If positive, the test can help show whether you and your partner have an increased chance of having a child born with one of these diseases.