Preconception carrier screening
Extended Genetic Compatibility Testing — 3,000+ Conditions
Our most extensive compatibility screening option. The panel investigates more than 3,000 hereditary disorders, providing substantially broader carrier screening for individuals and couples wanting the most comprehensive assessment available within this testing range.
- 3,000+ hereditary disorders screened
- Our most comprehensive carrier panel
- Results within 31 days
What's included
What this panel covers.
- 3,000+ hereditary disorders
Could you and your partner carry the same inherited condition?
Most people carry genetic variants associated with one or more recessive inherited disorders without ever developing the condition themselves.
This is known as being a healthy carrier.
Usually, being a carrier does not affect your own health. However, if both partners carry a disease-causing variant affecting the same autosomal recessive condition, each pregnancy generally has:
- 25% chance of the child being affected
- 50% chance of the child being an unaffected carrier
- 25% chance of the child inheriting neither familial variant
Genetic Compatibility Testing, sometimes called carrier screening, genetic matching or preconception carrier screening, examines whether prospective parents carry variants associated with the same inherited conditions.
When should couples consider Genetic Compatibility Testing?
Carrier screening can be considered by any couple planning a pregnancy, even when both partners are healthy and there is no known family history of genetic disease.
It may be particularly useful:
- Before trying to conceive naturally
- Before IVF or other assisted reproductive treatment
- Where either partner has a family history of genetic disease
- Where one partner is already known to be a carrier
- Where the partners are biologically related
- Before using donor sperm or donor eggs
- Where couples want more information about inherited disease risks before pregnancy
Ideally, carrier screening is performed before pregnancy, because this provides couples with more time to understand the results and discuss their reproductive options.
What happens if we are genetically incompatible?
Finding that both partners carry variants associated with the same recessive disorder does not mean that you cannot have a healthy child.
Instead, the result provides information that can be used to understand reproductive risk and discuss available options with an appropriate genetics or fertility specialist.
Depending on the specific condition and circumstances, options may include:
- Natural conception with appropriate prenatal diagnostic options
- IVF with Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Monogenic disorders (PGT-M) where clinically appropriate
- Use of donor sperm or donor eggs
- Other reproductive options following specialist genetic counselling
The appropriate pathway depends on the particular gene, condition and inheritance pattern identified.
Important information
Genetic screening cannot eliminate all genetic or reproductive risk. A negative carrier screening result significantly reduces the likelihood of carrying the conditions investigated but does not exclude all genetic disorders. The clinical significance of genetic findings can vary, and some results may require interpretation by an appropriately qualified clinician or genetic counsellor. Genetic testing should be considered alongside medical history, family history and other fertility investigations.
Frequently asked questions
What is a genetic carrier?
Do we need carrier screening if there is no genetic disease in our families?
Should both partners have the Genetic Compatibility Test?
What happens if my partner and I carry the same condition?
