When I asked my doctor he was clueless. What I would like is a genetic profile. I know that they are out there and that they would be able to look at certain markers in my dna to see if cancer, or heart problems can crop up. Recently my blood brothers have had children and I would love to know what I would be passing on to my children if I get the chance to have any.
2006-10-12 12:55:40 · 4 answers · asked by Too Cool For Me 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
I think that it would be natural to wonder about your genetic/familial profile now that you are looking ahead to having a family of your own. We are certainly in an age where we have certain access and rights to take charge of our current and future health in all kinds of ways. Although our understanding of diseases and the genetic components that contribute to them is certainly growing all the time, I'm not sure that the ability to test for genetic markers has kept pace. We might not be able to test for everything yet.
Are there particular conditions that you feel you might be at risk for given your siblings's health and that of their children (some forms of breast cancer run in families, for example)?Can your adoptive parents help with any info from your records? Are you from a particular ethnic group that is known to be at higher risk for conditions like heart disease, certain types of cancer, diabetes, or inherited blood conditions (e.g., thalassemia, sickle cell) etc.? I think that if there are conditions that you suspect you might be at risk for due to age, ethnicity, past health concerns, and/or your and your blood relatives's general health, then it is reasonable to approach your doctor about testing for those specific conditions (that'll help him or her narrow down what to test for and what tools are currently available). It would also be more ethical to test you for something specific that you might have a real risk of getting rather than running a long list of tests for things that you MIGHT be at risk for.
If genetic testing isn't an area of expertise for your doctor, then consider requesting a referral to a medical geneticist or look into a private lab that might offer the services. A warning, though, that these tests might be costly and involve some risks (in more ways than one). If you do get to the stage of having the tests, part of that service should include counselling you about (and preparing you for) possible outcomes. It would be irresponsible to do anything less. Having this information can open up a whole new set of questions: have you considered what you might do if you knew that you carried a gene or were at high risk for a particular condition? A lot of personal decision making and talking with a partner would need to follow. And there's always the question of how insurers and employers might use this information in discriminatory ways if they had knowledge of it. Whatever you decide to do, I'd recommend thinking about the tools that you already have at your disposal to look after your help. The usual suspects like diet, exercise, managing stress, living as healthily as you can. Sometimes those environmental factors have the power to influence our underlying genetic predispositions in positive or negative ways; perhaps more than we acknowledge. Wishing you the best.
2006-10-12 13:27:30 · answer #1 · answered by semper 3 · 119⤊ 7⤋
that's between the main disgusting questions i've got heard all day. You act like the youngster is a "broken product" and you will in simple terms return her or him. could you like the youngster much less if he or she did come out being colorblind or what not?
2016-11-28 02:33:21 · answer #2 · answered by roever 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, I'm adopted too, but I never wanted to find out. Maybe you can get a DNA test done and have them search the records to see if anybody pops up. ask your adoptive parents if they have the adoption papers or any information because thats the best place to start. I believe my parents said the information is there. Good Luck, try a search on yahoo or something.
2006-10-12 13:05:20 · answer #3 · answered by Bobby B 3 · 20⤊ 5⤋
Well, it can be pretty pricey, but check out http://www.dnaheritage.com/order.asp
or you can google it, there are tons of companies out there that do this.
2006-10-12 13:03:41 · answer #4 · answered by AB 3 · 18⤊ 4⤋