Quick recap

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If someone in your family has ALS or a related condition, genetic counseling can help you learn how your family medical history may affect your health in the future. A genetic counselor can:

• Give you a personalized genetic risk assessment based on your family history
• Explain how genetic testing works and help you decide if it’s right for you
• Help you decide when to get genetic testing if you’re interested
• Help you understand your genetic testing results if you choose to move forward with genetic testing
• Help you explore family planning options based on your genetic risk, if desired
• Offer guidance to help you cope with your emotions and have conversations with loved ones

As part of the genetic counseling process, you may choose to get genetic testing to learn more details about your genetic risk. Through genetic testing, you may also be able to learn:

• If your children/future children may have a higher risk of developing ALS or related conditions
• If there are reproductive options that could reduce your chances of passing down genetic differences linked to ALS or related conditions
• If you can participate in certain clinical research studies

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