Genetic Counselling
Genetic Counselling services aim to educate individuals about the nature, inheritance and implications of their genetic risks and support them as they adapt and make choices to this information.
Mount Sinai currently offers genetic counselling services for prenatal and fertility concerns. These services included genetics education, holistic genetic risk assessment based on family and medical history, assistance in decision making regarding genetic screening and testing, facilitating genetic screening and testing, supportive counselling during decision making and in response to test results, and test result explanations.
Mount Sinai Services offers genetic counselling for the following family planning concerns.
- Pre- and post-preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) counselling – deciding whether to have PGT, understanding results and assistance in embryo selection for transfer.
- Donor gametes (egg, sperm, embryo) selection – when selecting gametes from a donation bank based on donor profiles.
- Gamete donor genetic risk evaluation – assessing the donor based on family history, medical history, ethnicity and making recommendations for carrier screening or other genetic testing. *
- Explaining results of gamete donor's genetic risk evaluation to intended recipient(s). *
- General preconception counselling – exploring any genetic risk consideration prior to pregnancy, explaining prenatal testing options prior to being found high risk (ie. discussions for NIPT).
- Pre- and post-test carrier screening counselling – for non-high risk ministry of health (MOH) ethnic groups, for MOH high risk ethnic groups that want carrier screening for conditions outside the MOH funded screening.
- History of miscarriages (less than 3 miscarriages).
- Pre- and post-test counselling for direct to consumer testing.
- Second opinions (including previously declined referrals by MOH funded clinics).
* Includes assessing donors outside of Ontario and Canada who are using surrogates in Ontario. Ontario Safety of Sperm and Ova Regulation guidelines state gamete donors must have a genetic risk assessment to determine donor suitability. To ensure these guidelines are correctly followed, an Ontario employed genetic counsellor should perform the gamete donor risk assessment.
Currently we only accept referrals from physician services. Genetic counselling consultations take approximately 1 hour.
Physician Referral
To schedule an appointment, fax the referral and associated medical and/or genetics records to 416 586 8589. A staff member will contact the individual to schedule the appointment. All genetics letters and results will be faxed to the referring physician ONLY if a return fax number is provided on the referral.