Laboratories look at your genes, which are the DNA instructions you inherit from your mother and your father. Genetic tests may be used to identify increased risks of health problems, to choose treatments, or to assess responses to treatments.

You should consider testing. Most illnesses need immediate detection. There are many different types of genetic tests.

 Genetic tests can help:

• Diagnose disease
• Identify gene changes that are responsible for an already diagnosed disease
• Determine the severity of a disease
• It will guide doctors in deciding on the best medicine or treatment to use for certain individuals
  
• Identify gene changes that may increase the risk to develop a disease
• Identify gene changes that could be passed on to children
• Screen newborn babies for certain treatable conditions

Types of genetic tests include:

Newborn screening – Testing just after birth to identify genetic disorders that can be treated early in life

Predictive and pre-symptomatic – These types of tests are used to detect gene mutations associated with disorders that appear after birth, often later in life

Carrier testing – Used to identify people who carry one copy of a gene mutation that, when present in two copies, causes a genetic disorder

Prenatal testing – This particular test is used to detect changes in a fetus’s genes or chromosomes before birth

Forensic testing – Forensic testing uses DNA sequences to identify an individual for legal purposes

Pharmacogenomic testing – This type of genetic testing determines the influence of genetic variation on drug response

Research genetic testing – Research testing included finding unknown genes, learning how genes work and advancing the understanding of genetic conditions

Genetic test results can be hard to understand, however, specialists like geneticists and genetic counselors can help explain what results might mean to you and your family. Because genetic testing tells you information about your DNA, which is shared with other family members, sometimes a genetic test result may have implications for blood relatives of the person who had to test.

There are many reasons that people might get genetic testing. Doctors might suggest a genetic test if patients or their families have certain patterns of disease. Genetic testing is voluntary and the decision about whether to have genetic testing is complex.