# anyone heard of Counsyl blood test?



## babyzoe

When I was at my docs yesterday she said that I should get a blood test that screens for risk factors that cause autism, CF, spina bifida, etc etc. I said yes, thinking it only tested for those three things. Acutally, I thought she was testing for thryoid issus and Rh factor. When I got home, I googled it and it turns out there were about a hundred of diseases that this one test screened for! I was flabbergasted. Seriously. On the one hand, I'm happy to know that in a few weeks I'll have a better idea of whether I'm a carrier or not for these diseases, but there's so many and if I come up positive on 1 of them would it have been better not to know. KWIM? It's a double edged sword.

Anyhow, have any of you women had this blood test done or heard about it at all?


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## nancy17

The Counsyl test is one I took and it's fantastic! I have a science background, so I can share some thoughts - in the past, it was impossible to cost effectively and time effectively screen for all of these diseases at once. You could do it, but you'd have to screen 1 disease at a time, draw blood for each, and the average cost would be $500 - $1000 PER TEST! Counsyl's test screens for ALL of these diseases and its 100% covered by insurance. The max out of pocket cost for someone who's uninsured is $99. My husband and I absolutely wanted to know what genetic diseases our child might be at risk for. My doctor told me the test is now being used in almost every OB clinic in the US and in every major hospital. While it's certainly not mandatory, if insurance covers it (or at worst, it's $99), why wouldn't you take it?


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## jajohnson

We did the test and I just got the results back. I feel good knowing we informed ourselves of any possible risks. And, we are both geeks, so we like knowing everything! I definitely recommend it. 



babyzoe said:


> When I was at my docs yesterday she said that I should get a blood test that screens for risk factors that cause autism, CF, spina bifida, etc etc. I said yes, thinking it only tested for those three things. Acutally, I thought she was testing for thryoid issus and Rh factor. When I got home, I googled it and it turns out there were about a hundred of diseases that this one test screened for! I was flabbergasted. Seriously. On the one hand, I'm happy to know that in a few weeks I'll have a better idea of whether I'm a carrier or not for these diseases, but there's so many and if I come up positive on 1 of them would it have been better not to know. KWIM? It's a double edged sword.
> 
> Anyhow, have any of you women had this blood test done or heard about it at all?


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## Caite

It's not offered over here in the UK. Even if it were available, I'm not sure I'd want to have it.


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## MariposaTam

Never heard of it but i'm glad you posted. I'd be interested in the test, even if it meant being positive for something. I'd rather know than be surprised. I understand the implications of possibly being positive for a disease but I think in this case, good outweighs bad. Will now look into this test for OH ;)


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## babyzoe

MariposaTam said:


> Never heard of it but i'm glad you posted. I'd be interested in the test, even if it meant being positive for something. I'd rather know than be surprised. I understand the implications of possibly being positive for a disease but I think in this case, good outweighs bad. Will now look into this test for OH ;)

If you're in the US and you have commercial insurance then the MOST you'll have to pay is $99 (and that's only if you're insurance doesn't cover it). If you don't have insurance then you are only responsible for approx $350.

I like the test bc if I had something like Lou Gherig's, I'd want to know before hand, but the rarer tests just cause more stress than necessary. I'm glad I came out negative though. One less thing to worry about.


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## MariposaTam

Glad to hear you are negative :)


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