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Price range: £395.00 through £1,575.00
GeneScreen carrier screening looks for selected gene changes that you could carry without having symptoms and pass on to a child. Four panel levels are available, ranging from Focus, a targeted 30-gene panel, to Complete, which covers more than 2,000 genes. Individual and couple options are available where shown.
Available privately through My DNA Lab, GeneScreen gives you direct access to reproductive genetic information. Once you receive your report, it can support a more informed conversation with your GP, fertility specialist, clinic or clinical genetics professional.
Each person included in the test provides a 10 ml blood sample. You can arrange collection with your own qualified healthcare professional or use My DNA Lab’s mobile phlebotomy service within mainland UK. Once all required samples are ready, contact us and we will arrange their return to the laboratory.
Some inherited conditions can be passed on even when you do not have symptoms. In this situation, you may be described as a carrier because you have a gene change that could be passed to a child. GeneScreen looks for selected changes linked to recessive and X-linked conditions.
For a recessive condition, a child may have a higher chance of being affected when both biological parents carry relevant changes linked to the same condition. An X-linked condition involves a gene on the X chromosome, so the meaning of a finding can differ depending on whether the person tested is female or male.
The laboratory examines the parts of each gene covered by your chosen panel. Because the scope differs between panels, you can review the complete Focus, Protect, Easy-Donor and Complete gene lists under ‘Test provider and further information’ further down this page.
Although a larger panel covers more genes, it is not automatically the most suitable option. Your reason for testing, family history, any known family result, and the requirements of a fertility clinic or donor programme can all affect the choice.
GeneScreen may be useful if you are planning a pregnancy, having fertility treatment, in early pregnancy or taking part in egg or sperm donor matching. It may be particularly relevant if an inherited condition is present in your family or one biological parent already knows they are a carrier.
If a genetic change has already been identified in your family, however, a broad carrier screening panel may not check that exact change. A focused test designed to look for the known family change may therefore be more appropriate.
Similarly, if you are testing for a fertility clinic or donor programme, choose the panel that service requires, as different clinics can set their own matching and treatment criteria.
Whichever option you choose, each person included in the test must provide a 10 ml blood sample. You can arrange collection with your own qualified healthcare professional. Alternatively, My DNA Lab’s mobile phlebotomy service is available within mainland UK for an additional £60 for one person or £120 for a couple.
Your report may identify a carrier gene change included in your chosen panel, or it may find no relevant change. If you choose a couple test, the report can also show whether both biological parents carry changes linked to the same recessive condition.
A result that finds no relevant change lowers the chance that you are a carrier for the conditions assessed. However, it cannot remove that chance completely because the test does not detect every possible gene change and cannot assess conditions outside your chosen panel.
Free genetic counselling is available before and after the test. Before testing, a counselling session can help you understand the four panels and choose an option suited to your circumstances. After testing, counselling can help you understand the findings in your report. To use either service, contact My DNA Lab and we will put you in touch with a representative from the testing provider.
We always recommend that you discuss your results with your healthcare professional. Depending on the findings, your GP, fertility specialist, clinic or clinical genetics professional can explain whether partner testing, a more focused test or another reproductive step may be helpful.
Begin with the question you want the test to help answer rather than simply choosing the panel with the largest gene count. Focus offers a defined 30-gene core panel, while Protect broadens the scope to 120 genes. Easy-Donor is designed for donor and IVF programmes. Complete is the widest GeneScreen option, covering more than 2,000 genes.
If you are testing as a couple, the main benefit is that both reports can be compared for the same recessive conditions. If one person is tested first and a carrier change is found, the other biological parent may then need a suitable follow-up test.
However, when a genetic change is already known in your family, a focused test may be more appropriate than broad GeneScreen carrier screening. If you choose to use the free pre-test genetic counselling service, you can decide whether to discuss the existing family report during that session.
