Prenatal Genetics

About Genetics

The Center for Maternal and Fetal Care draws on the Division of Genetics at Children's of Mississippi to provide comprehensive prenatal genetic services, including genetic counseling and testing. UMMC is the only facility in the state which has board-certified genetic counselors.

Genetics offers:

• Leading-edge genetic testing, diagnosis, and management.
• Resources, research, education, and counseling about inherited conditions.
• First-trimester screening, non-invasive prenatal screening, and pan-ethnic carrier screening.
• Prenatal karyotype analysis, microarray analysis, multi-gene panels, whole exome sequencing (WES)

If advanced care is needed, genetic counselors work in collaboration with a team of expert subspecialists through UMMC’s Center for Maternal and Fetal Care. This multidisciplinary team works together to care for both the mother and child’s unique needs - all under one roof.

What is Preconception/Prenatal Genetics? 

Preconception and prenatal genetics is a specialty that focuses on potential risks to a current or future pregnancy, including birth defects, chromosome conditions, and other genetic syndromes and conditions either known or unknown to the family. The ultimate goal of a prenatal genetic counseling session is to provide evidence-based, peer-reviewed medical genetic information in an easy-to-understand format, thus empowering patients to make autonomous and informed decisions about their future or current pregnancy in a supportive, non-judgmental environment.

Preconception and prenatal genetic counselors are experts in genetic screening and testing and assist the patient and provider in ordering the best test for the clinical situation, communicating results, and facilitating appropriate follow-up.

During the preconception and prenatal genetic counseling process, genetic counselors also offer support and counseling to address immediate psychosocial issues that may arise when genetic screening or testing is positive or high risk, such as feelings of guilt, blame, anxiety, and grief/loss.

Our team is also equipped to provide genetic counseling and test coordination when pregnancy loss occurs, at any point during pregnancy or after delivery (stillbirth).