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The short answer
to your question is no, we can't really test for looks or
even complete health. But, during a pregnancy, we can test
for certain DNA problems – whether there is the wrong number
of chromosomes, or if there is evidence of the presence of
a specific inherited disease. But, even if the results come
back normal, this is still not a guarantee for perfect health.
There is a technique
called Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), where individual
embryonic cells are tested. This is used after in vitro fertilization
(IVF) where conception occurs outside the body and then the
embryo's cells divide before being placed into the prospective
mom's uterus. Genetic tests can be done on some of these
cells before the others are implanted. But currently, we need
to know what we're testing for (whether its for the correct
number of chromosomes, or whether its for an inherited disorder
like Tay Sachs, Muscular Dystrophy, or sickle cell anemia);
there's no standard panel of things to check. This, as you
can imagine, makes it hard to rule out all kinds of things
that could be considered “unhealthy” by the parents.
And, ethically, where
do you draw the line? Is it considered “unhealthy” to look
more like George Clooney than Brad Pitt? Does that then mean
that all of us that look like Clooney are disadvantaged? I
say absolutely not! After all, I'm obvious proof that you
can still lead a full, productive life being just really good
looking, instead of really, really good looking.
Right? :)
What
would you test for prenatally?
Check
out these predictive testing articles – Screening
Embryos for Genetic Disease and Prenatal
Testing; A Case Study– for more information.
Glossary
terms:
June 2007
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