Download Talking to Couples about Genetic Screening JScreen is a national

Talking to Couples about Genetic Screening
JScreen is a national, not-for-profit, at-home education and carrier screening program for Jewish genetic
diseases. The goal of the program is to give families with Jewish ancestry easy access to information and
genetic counseling and the ability to test conveniently from home on saliva samples.
How does JScreen work?
Screening is done on a saliva sample that the participant collects in the privacy of their own home and
ships to the testing laboratory. Genetic testing is done on DNA from the saliva sample. If you’re
identified as a carrier for any of the diseases, you will participate in a follow-up telephone counseling
session with a genetic counselor or other health-care provider.
What does the JScreen test include?
JScreen genetic testing includes a panel of 19+ diseases that are common in the Ashkenazi Jewish
population. As an enhanced option, you can also choose the expanded panel to learn whether you carry
other disease genes seen in the general population. The expanded panel includes more than 80 genetic
conditions. For either panel, JScreen offers two different testing methods. Genotyping, the standard of
care for carrier screening, involves "spot checking" for common changes (mutations) in a gene.
Sequencing, a newer technology, looks at the whole gene and will detect an even higher percentage of
carriers.
When should I get screened?
The best time to get screened is before you or your partner becomes pregnant. It is also important to
update screening before each pregnancy, as new diseases may be added to the screening panels over
time.
If my results show I’m a carrier, will I get the disease?
No, carriers will not develop the disease. For the conditions on our screening panels, a person must have
two copies of the gene, one from each parent, to have the condition.
How much does genetic testing with JScreen cost?
If you have commercial medical insurance, you will pay no more than $99 for the genotyping test and no
more than $299 for the sequencing test, regardless of whether you choose the Jewish or expanded
panel.
Can I give JScreen as a gift?
Yes, JScreen offers two JGift options for giving the gift of screening to friends and family. The purchaser
can choose between a genotyping JGift for $99, or a sequencing JGift for $299. The recipient requests
their screening kit at Jscreen.org using a special voucher code found on the certificate. The kit is then
mailed directly to the recipient.
We want to engage everyone in this easy, convenient and affordable way to plan for a healthy future.
We encourage couples of child-bearing age, parents, grandparents, siblings and friends to visit our
website at www.jscreen.org to find out how they can participate in the JScreen movement.