PGDlab : For Patients : What is PGD : Q & A

Huntington disease (HD) is an adult onset disorder involving progressive motor disability, cognitive decline, and personality changes. Because this is an autosomal dominant condition, a person with a parent with HD has about a 50% risk of developing HD. Many couples want to prevent having a child that will develop HD, but do not want to face the decision of prenatal testing and possible pregnancy interruption. Often, individuals do not know if they have HD when they are family planning because the average age of onset of clinical symptoms is 40 years old. These couples may want to prevent having a child with HD, but not know if they carry the HD gene. Non-Disclosing PGD for HD can help these couples decrease the chance of conceiving a pregnancy with HD while not identifying the HD status of the couple.

I want to learn more about Non-Disclosing PGD for Huntington disease.

Please click on another question for more information.

• Are you a woman over 35?
• Have you experienced several miscarriages?
• Have you had a prior pregnancy with a chromosome abnormality?
• Have you experienced several failed IVF cycles?
• Has conceiving a pregnancy been difficult due to a low sperm count?
• Do you or your partner carry a balanced structural chromosome rearrangement?
• Do you have a family history of Huntington disease?
• Do you or your partner carry a recessive genetic disease such as cystic fibrosis?
• Do you or your partner carry an X-linked genetic disease such as hemophilia or Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy?
• Do you want to balance the gender in your family?

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