Prenatal Genetic Counseling

Make an appointment

To make an appointment for prenatal genetic counseling at Inova James T. Sites Antenatal Testing Center, call Kristine Sidhu at 703-776-6654 or email kristine.sidhu@inova.org.

Meet our certified genetic counselor

Kristine Sidhu, MS works closely with you and your physicians to provide you personalized care in regard to you and your family’s genetic health. As a genetic counselor, she can help you make informed decisions about your current or future pregnancy.

Kristine holds a Master of Science in genetic counseling from the University of Toronto.

Prenatal Genetic Counseling can help you:

• Understand the cause of a certain condition
• Know the chance of having future children with a condition
• Learn about current research, testing procedures and prenatal diagnosis
• Contact community resources, and if possible, other families or patients with the same condition
• Adjust to the personal and family issues related to a genetic disorder

In addition, Kristine counsels couples who are planning a pregnancy and are interested in prenatal testing and/or screening. This testing might include carrier screening for genetic disorders or amniocentesis to rule out chromosomal abnormalities.

Learn the benefits of genetic counseling

Tests and procedures

Genetic testing can evaluate the health of both mother and baby even during the first trimester. Genetic tests or procedures may include:

• Ultrasound – A non-invasive screening that produces an image of the fetus using sound waves
• Amniocentesis – A diagnostic procedure that involves the insertion of a thin needle through the abdomen in order to obtain a sample of the amniotic fluid that surrounds the fetus. Cells in the fluid can be analyzed for chromosome abnormalities and other genetic disorders.
• Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) – A diagnostic procedure to extract cells from the placenta between 10 and 13 weeks of pregnancy. The procedure extracts cells from the placenta in order to detect chromosome abnormalities and certain other genetic disorders.

Why choose Inova Women's Hospital for your testing?

At Inova Women's Hospital, you have immediate access to the most cutting-edge technology and the widest range of resources.

Our physicians conduct innovative research, participating in weekly clinical conferences and consulting frequently with physicians from other specialties.