What does it mean to be proactive about your hereditary health risks?
It means learning as much as you can about the health problems that run in your family before planning a family of your own. While many people are proactive about their health by eating healthy foods, exercising, and getting regular check-ups, aggressive individuals take it one step further by finding out what genetic diseases could affect them or their future children.
If you know that a specific illness runs in your family, you can take steps to lower your risk of developing it. For example, if breast cancer is common in your family, you may want to consider getting screened for the disease regularly.
Many online resources are available to help you learn about your family’s health history. One such resource is the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), which offers a free online tool called My Family Health Portrait.
This tool allows you to enter information about yourself and your family members, including health conditions and traits. It then creates a personalized report that outlines your family’s health history and your genetic risk of developing certain diseases.
You can print out this information as a reference to take to your doctor and share it with other family members.
Once you have learned about the health risks in your family, talk with a genetic counselor. A genetic counselor is trained to answer questions about genetics and hereditary disease. They will help you understand how being proactive can reduce the chances of inherited diseases for you and future generations of your family.
Talk to a cancer care team member if you have specific cancer concerns within your family history, such as what screening tests are recommended at various ages. Knowing the health risks in your family allows you to make informed decisions about having children and whether prenatal testing is suitable for you.
Prenatal testing is a way to screen a fetus for specific genetic conditions. This type of testing can be done during the early stages of pregnancy, and it allows parents to make decisions about their unborn child’s health. If you are proactive about your family’s health history, you may want to consider prenatal testing.
If you have any questions or concerns about being proactive about your hereditary health risks, talk with your doctor. They can help you find the resources you need to learn more about your family’s health history and make informed decisions about your health and the health of your future family members.
Being proactive about hereditary health risks means learning as much as you can about the diseases that run in your family before you plan to have children.
To learn more about your family’s health history, visit NHGRI’s My Family Health Portrait tool to create your personalized report, which you can then print out as a reference to take with you to the doctor or share with other family members.
If certain diseases run in your family, talk with a genetic counselor about what this could mean for you and future generations of your family. They will help you understand how being proactive can reduce the chances of inherited diseases for yourself and others in your family.
If I have diabetes, then my hereditary can have this health problem?
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There is a hereditary component to diabetes, which means the disease can run in families. If you have diabetes, there is a chance that your children could develop the disease as well. However, there are steps you can take to lower your child’s risk of developing diabetes.
For example, you can ensure that your child eats a healthy diet and gets regular exercise. You may also want to consider having them screened for diabetes regularly. Talk with your doctor about what steps are suitable for your family.
If you have any questions or concerns about being proactive about hereditary health risks in your family, talk with your doctor. They can help connect you with the resources you need to learn more and make informed decisions about your health and the health of your future family members.
What can I do so that I am not sick to my hereditary?
The best way to avoid inheriting a disease depends on the specific condition in question. However, there are some things you can do to lower your risk of developing a hereditary disease.
For example, if obesity is a health risk in your family, try maintaining a healthy weight by eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly. You may also want to consider genetic testing to see if you carry any genes that could increase your risk of developing certain diseases. Talk with your doctor about what steps are proper for you.
You can also take steps to be proactive about your family’s health by getting regular screenings for various diseases. This allows you to catch any health problems early, increasing your chances of treatment success.