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Can't find Down syndrome in family history...
lafe5512
Posts: 12
As I was looking through the family history of donors, I can't see if you ask them if there is a history of Down syndrome? Am I overlooking it, or is it not something that y'all ask about?
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If a donor had a family member with Down syndrome, it would be documented in his Medical History under item 9P on page 11, or 13F on page 13. There are some donors who have family members with Down syndrome, but it is rare.
One of our genetic counselors points out:
What’s important to know is that if a donor has a family member with Down syndrome, this rarely indicates an increased risk for a donor to have a child with Down syndrome or other chromosome disorder because children with Down syndrome are usually born in families where there is no family history of this condition.
We perform chromosome analyses on our donors during the qualification process to make sure they do not carry any rearrangements that would put them at increased risk to have a child with Down syndrome or other chromosome abnormality. A donor is not eligible to participate in the program if he has a chromosome rearrangement; however, even if a donor’s chromosomes are normal, this does not eliminate the risk that a child could have Down syndrome. The mother’s age is usually the primary factor in determining the risk that this could occur.
There is additional information about Down syndrome and a donor’s eligibility on our website here: http://www.cryobank.com/Services/Genetic-Counseling/Genetics-FAQs/#answerDownSyndrome
If you have additional questions, please don't hesitate to contact our Genetics Department at 877-743-6384.
Regards,
Nicole
CCB