How can genetic counseling help me?

Genetic counseling can help you understand how your genes and 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 testing
• Help you explore family planning options based on your genetic risk
• Offer guidance to help you cope with your emotions and have conversations with loved ones

Note: You’ll find information about insurance and legal rights later in the tool.

If you’ve already met with a genetic counselor, you can skip ahead to learn about genetic testing.

Skip to genetic testing