• Question: what work do you do exactly with unborn children?

    Asked by keyfox to Nik on 22 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Nicola Ibberson

      Nicola Ibberson answered on 22 Jun 2012:

      In families with a known genetic disease, they often ask for ‘pre-natal testing’ when they become pregnant – to see whether their unborn child has inherited that disease. A sample is taken from the amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby in the womb, or from the cord, which contains the babies DNA. We use that sample to test the baby in the lab.

      Based on the results, the family gets to decide whether they want to continue with the pregnancy or not. Some women choose to have an abortion, others just want to know so that they can be prepared for life with a sick child.

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