JScreen, a not-for-profit at-home education and carrier screening program for genetic diseases, today applauded efforts during National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month to help people understand the effects of this genetic condition—and the tools that can be used to help plan for future, healthy families.
“Screening for genetic conditions such as cystic fibrosis before a pregnancy empowers families with knowledge,” said Melanie Hardy, Assistant Director of Genetic Counseling at JScreen. “Throughout May, during National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness month, we are hopeful that families will come to understand the simple, safe, and easy process of accessing genetic screening and counseling.”
JScreen makes testing for genetic diseases simple—providing an easy-to-use at-home saliva test that gives couples planning for children an unprecedented understanding of their own genetic makeup and risks relating to their children’s health. If a person or couple’s risk is elevated, genetic counselors will privately address their results, options and resources to help them plan for the health of their future children.
According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation:
- Approximately 30,000 children and adults in the United States have CF.
- More than 10 million Americans are symptomless carriers of the CF gene.
- The life expectancy for someone with CF has doubled in the last 30 years, but people still lose their lives to this disease every day.
Importantly, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) recommend offering cystic fibrosis carrier screening to all women who are considering pregnancy.
“Raising awareness of this and other genetic conditions before pregnancy continues to be crucial – and we are working hard to help couples plan for their own future, healthy families with all of the important information that can be provided by a simple, at-home JScreen genetic screening test,” says Hardy.
As part of National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month, JScreen hosted a genetic screening event on Wednesday, May 8 at the University of Maryland Hillel located at 7612 Mowatt Lane, College Park MD.
About JScreen
JScreen is a national non-profit public health initiative dedicated to preventing Jewish genetic diseases. Headquartered in Atlanta at Emory University School of Medicine, the JScreen initiative provides convenient at-home access to cutting-edge genetic testing technology, patient education and genetic counseling services. JScreen believes the combination of education, access to premier gene screening technologies and personalized, confidential support are the keys to preventing these devastating diseases.
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