 Genetic testing is offered to all pregnant women. The choice to get genetic testing is often a very personal choice. Not all genetic abnormalities are able to be detected, but we're able to detect the most common ones. There are some genetic illnesses that do run in certain populations, so speaking to your doctor about your risk for genetic illnesses is a good idea. I was offered genetic testing at a couple of different points in my pregnancy. We decided not to do the genetic testing because for us it wasn't going to change how we handled our pregnancy. The reality is what would you do with the information that you obtained? For a lot of women it's about knowing. If they would intervene in this pregnancy it's key that we have this information as early as possible. If this is information gathering so that you know how to best support a baby that may have special needs at the time of delivery that's important as well too. You might decide that it would be helpful for you to join support groups or to do some more reading and get prepared for any issues that you might have with a baby with a genetic defect. But if you would not intervene in this pregnancy any and all testing is optional. If you're interested in genetic screening you should definitely talk to your practitioner and hear more about the details of those tests.