Before your doctor unveils your DNA

The Navigenics genetic testing service can be experienced one of two ways – through test results you order yourself, or through a test ordered for you by your doctor. While that second option clearly means more physician involvement from the start, it doesn’t change the need for your participation in the genetic process.

Your DNA is still just that—your DNA. To understand it thoroughly, your physician needs your input.

Even if your physician ordered your Navigenics Health Compass report for you and plans to explain your results, the very personal nature of DNA analysis means there are important steps you should take before your doctor’s visit. Your discussion with your physician will be more productive if you gather some personal information before your results review.

This preparation is somewhat different from the physician-related steps we recently recommended for Navigenics members who’ve ordered their own Health Compass reports.

If these members want to share their results with their doctors, they should prepare their physicians for this new information in multiple ways. If your doctor has ordered your Navigenics Health Compass report for you, however, it’s likely that he has already covered some of these preliminary steps, such as making sure your appointment is long enough for a detailed genetic discussion.

But even when your doctor has these basics covered, only you can provide key pieces of information to make your genetic picture as complete as possible. Here are ways to prepare:

• Learn as much as you can about your family health history before your visit. This valuable information will assist in your physician’s interpretation of your results.

  If you are a woman with a significant family history of breast cancer, for example, that information may lead your doctor to recommend additional genetic testing, even though your risk on the Navigenics panel is low. Or, despite a low Navigenics risk for colon cancer, you may have a family history that necessitates further testing. These possibilities don’t reflect something incorrect in Navigenics testing. Instead, they represent the fact that there are some rare genetic factors that require additional DNA analysis.

  Provide your doctor with as much family medical history as you can gather. If you aren’t sure of the best way to compile a family history, contact your Navigenics Genetic Counselor. Our counselors are trained genetics professional who will be able to assist you in creating your family history.

• If you are adopted, don’t know one of your biological parents, or have gaps in your family history, let your doctor know this as well. This information can also factor into your DNA results and guide your doctor towards areas of your health to watch closely over time. If you are in great cardiovascular shape now, for example, but have a high risk for heart disease and don’t know that aspect of your family history, your doctor may choose to monitor your cardiac health even more closely over time to see if further risk factors arise.
• Make note of any symptoms you’d like to discuss. You and your physician might have different areas of focus or interest. You may have an only average genetic risk for celiac disease, for example, but may want to go over some symptoms that you have experienced that might be related. Our Web site will familiarize you with the conditions that Navigenics covers, including symptoms. So spend some time on the site before your visit.
• Think about how your genetic information will be most helpful to you. Would you prefer to learn about your risks first, go home and discuss them with your family, and then talk to your doctor about relevant actions and preventions in a later visit? Or would you like to learn about actions you can take right away? During your visit, let your physician know what your priorities are. This information will help shape your conversation.

Along the way, keep in mind that our Genetic Counselors are available to you and your doctor before and after your visit. DNA information is fascinating, but it’s also complex. Even when your physician is a full partner in your genetic analysis, the Navigenics genetic counseling team can help you work with your doctor in ways that help you make the most of effective use of your DNA insights.