Genetic Counseling and Genetic Testing

We offer virtual appointments for patient convenience whenever possible, unless a physical examination or procedure is required.

If you have been referred from a physician from another specialty at Henry Ford Health, genetic testing may have already been ordered, or you may have already been tested. If testing has not been ordered or conducted, we will meet with you to discuss which testing options make the most sense for you, given factors such as type of condition, family history, etc.

Your genetic testing results will be explained by a member of our genetics care team to review what results mean for you and your family.

Genetic counseling helps you and your family process, understand and adapt to the medical and emotional implications surrounding genetic testing and screening results. Genetic counseling can help you decide if you would like to have genetic testing, ensure the most appropriate genetic testing is ordered, or review the information around results that you already have. This allows you to make informed decisions about potential treatments and manage your health risks.

More information about genetic counseling for our three main areas (prenatal/preconception, cancer and cardiac conditions) can be found further on this page.

Genetic testing discovers what your unique genetic makeup can tell us about diseases or conditions you have, the likelihood of a diagnosis in your future, if you can pass something on and, in some cases, how you will respond to care.

Genetic testing and screening use a sample of your blood or saliva to identify changes in genetic information or DNA, also called mutations. These tests or screens can:

• Diagnose disease
• Predict future disease
• Determine if you are a carrier for hereditary (inheritable) conditions
• Guide your treatment strategies

Our board-certified genetic counselors and geneticists provide testing services for a variety of conditions and diseases for cancer patients, individuals and couples considering pregnancy or who are pregnant, cardiovascular conditions, rare diseases and more.

We offer a wide range of services for individuals and couples who are considering pregnancy, who are currently pregnant or those with unexplained infertility or previous miscarriages or stillbirth.

Some genetic testing options:

• Genetic carrier screening to determine chance to have a child with a genetic condition
  • Some conditions have increased risk due to ancestry such as sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, neurodegenerative diseases, etc.
• Chromosomal conditions, like Down syndrome (multiple testing options available)
• Neural tube defects (ex: spina bifida)
• Congenital heart defects or other birth defects
• Pregnancies at-risk for a heritable condition

If a genetic test is abnormal during pregnancy, our team provides genetic counseling to review the results in detail with you and discuss what optional additional steps can be taken. We can also discuss the chance that a condition would happen again in a family. We may also refer you to other specialists for additional care.

We offer cancer genetic counseling to patients with a personal and/or family history of cancer through the Henry Ford Health Cancer Genetics Program for the following cancers:

• Breast cancer
• Colon cancer
• Gastric cancer, including hereditary diffuse gastric cancer
• Melanoma
• Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN 1 and 2)
• Ovarian cancer
• Von-Hippel Lindau disease
• And other rare cancers

Most cancer happens by chance, but in some families, there can be a genetic family predisposition.

Finding a hereditary cancer condition in a family may help catch any cancer early and save the lives of at-risk family members. People with a hereditary cancer condition may have access to increased screening for the types of cancer they are at risk for.

During your visit we will review personal and family history information, perform a cancer risk assessment and discuss the options for cancer genetic testing. You will be contacted to review the results.

If you already had cancer genetic testing ordered, we can review those results during an appointment.

Learn more about Henry Ford Health’s Cancer Genetics Program. 

Our team sees patients for specific cardiovascular indications (genetic counseling and test ordering or previously test results review), including but not limited to:

• Cardiomyopathies (Hypertrophic, dilated, arrhythmogenic, and restrictive cardiomyopathy)
• Arrhythmias (Long QT, Short QT, Brugada, Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia)
• Aortic Aneurysms
• Familial Hypercholesterolemia
• Consider if diagnosed with atrial fibrillation <45 and unexplained cardiac arrest

Some cardiovascular genetic conditions are associated with specific physical traits, so a physical examination is often necessary. In these cases, virtual genetic counseling appointments are not available.

Our Center for Precision Diagnostics laboratory specializes in analyzing your unique genetic (DNA) profile to find abnormalities or mutations using precision (personalized) tools.

The information gathered from laboratory testing allows our genetic counselors and geneticists to gain deep, individual insights that allow your care team to create highly tailored treatment strategies.

We are proud that our genetic testing services help train PhD fellows through our Laboratory Genetics and Genomics Fellowship.

This program aims to develop highly skilled clinical laboratory geneticists who are committed to lifelong learning and serving the diverse Michigan community by delivering precise and personalized genetic testing results. Through these efforts, the program contributes to the overarching mission of Henry Ford Hospital to enhance people's lives through excellence in healthcare and healing.

We receive referrals from providers specializing in maternal and fetal medicine for a variety of reasons. This can include factors like:

• Maternal age (typically age 35 or older)
• Abnormal ultrasound/screening results (typically following initial first trimester screenings or following anatomy scans during the second trimester)
• Family history or known parental genetic conditions
• And more

More information on specific conditions we provide genetic counseling and testing for can be found further on this page under the prenatal and pre-conception genetic counseling section.

We partner with your cancer care team and collaborate as part of Henry Ford Health’s personalized approach to cancer treatment, also called precision medicine. This includes participating in our tumor boards — internal forums where specialists from across cancer treatment areas evaluate each patient’s case individually.

Your genetics can play a role in your cancer care. Cancer genetic tests can give your care team insights about the likelihood of developing certain cancers, as approximately 5-10% of cancer cases can be linked to a genetic predisposition.

Henry Ford Health also has a specialized Cancer Genetics Program for certain cancers. More information about the program can be found on this page under the cancer genetic counseling section.