HDSA Center of Excellence at Hennepin County Medical Center

Genetic Counseling

What can genetic counseling do for Huntington's Disease patients

and their families?

A genetic counselor meets with patients and their families to review family history, explain the inheritance pattern of Huntington's Disease, the chance of passing the condition onto children, and the molecular genetic cause of Huntington's Disease.

A genetic counselor also provides pre-symptomatic genetic testing for individuals who are interested in knowing whether they are carriers of the HD causing gene before they have symptoms.  A genetic counselor meets with couples who are interested in learning about their family planning options.  These include pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and prenatal diagnostic tests such as genetic amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling

(CVS). They can also coordinate prenatal testing during at risk pregnancies.

Meet the Staff:

Carol Ludowese, MS, CGC,  Genetic Counselor Education/Outreach Activities Team member of the HD clinic since 1993 Member of the HD Operations Committee Presented at the Train the Trainer portion of the National HD conference in San Diego, CA in 2001 Presenter at the local annual HD conventions Facilitator and presenter for the HCMC Wellness Clinic

Contact Information:

Telephone:  612-873-4686
Email:  carol.ludowese@hcmed.org

Special Note: We would like to acknowledge and thank the HCMC Service League for providing grant funds to help maintain these web pages.