Before you start a family, know what you both carry
Most people who carry a genetic condition are perfectly healthy and have no idea they carry it. It only becomes a question when two carriers of the same condition have a child together. Carrier screening answers that question for the two of you, before it becomes urgent.
A recessive condition needs two copies of a faulty gene to appear. Carriers have one copy, which is why they are healthy and usually have no family history to go on. If both parents carry the same condition, then in every pregnancy there is a one in four chance the child inherits both copies.
The number that matters
The chance in every pregnancy, if you both carry the same condition. It does not go down after one healthy child.
Carriers are healthy
Carrying a condition does not affect your own health, which is why most carriers only find out through a test.
One result answers nothing
Your own result, on its own, cannot tell you the risk to a child. The answer only exists when both partners are screened.
| Partner passes on | Partner passes on | |
|---|---|---|
| You pass on | Not a carrier1 in 4 | Carrier1 in 4 |
| You pass on | Carrier1 in 4 | Affected1 in 4 |
Egypt’s premarital medical examination is a necessary step, and it is a different thing. It screens for a short list of conditions, mainly the inherited blood disorders that are most common in this region. Expanded carrier screening looks across a much wider panel at once. If you have already done the national examination, this adds to it. If you have not, do that too.
MyFamily
Expanded carrier screening, priced and reported for two people.
- Saliva collection for both partners, in one visit
- Expanded carrier screening across recessive and X-linked conditions
- One report about the two of you as a couple, not two separate results
- A clinical summary you can hand to your doctor
- A free call with our team before you order
Saliva, from both partners. Collected at home in 48 to 72 hours, or at a partner clinic. Results in 6 to 8 weeks. No doctor referral needed.
This is the part most testing companies skip. Knowing is only worth something if there is something to do with it, so here is the honest list, including the option of doing nothing.
Nothing, knowingly
Most couples do not both carry the same condition. For them the result is reassurance and the decision is unchanged, which is a perfectly good outcome.
Test during pregnancy
If you do share a carrier status, a pregnancy can be tested directly. That is arranged with your obstetrician and discussed with a clinical geneticist first.
IVF with embryo testing
Available in Egypt, expensive, physically demanding, and not the right answer for everyone. We would rather say that than pretend it is a simple next step.
Be ready
Some conditions are managed far better when the paediatric team knows from the first day rather than the first crisis. Knowing buys preparation.
- Each partner’s result belongs to that partner. We do not disclose one partner’s result to the other without their agreement.
- Results are not sent to your employer, your insurer, or any family member. We do not sell or share your genetic data.
- Inside iGenetx, only the clinical and laboratory staff working on your case can see your result.
- Genetic data is treated as sensitive personal data under Egyptian law 151 of 2020, and we handle it on that basis.
- If you want your sample destroyed or your data erased after your report is issued, tell us and we will do it.
The same process as every other iGenetx test, for both of you at the same visit.
Choose your test
Order online from anywhere in Egypt. No doctor’s referral needed. Not sure which one? Our call centre team will help you choose, free.
Book collection
A nurse comes to you at home, usually within 48 to 72 hours. Or give your sample at a partner clinic.
Give your sample
Saliva. A few minutes, no needles, and nothing to prepare beforehand.
The lab works
6 to 8 weeks. Every finding is reviewed by a geneticist against clinical databases before it reaches your report. That review is why it takes weeks, not days.
Results explained
A report in plain language, plus a version for your doctor. A session with a clinical geneticist is available separately.
We are cousins. Does that change anything?
Yes. Related couples share more of their DNA, so the chance that you both carry the same recessive condition is higher than it is for unrelated couples. That is a reason to screen, not a reason to worry. It does not mean anything is wrong with either of you, and it does not mean you should not have children. It means a screen is more likely to find something worth knowing about in advance.
Do we both have to be tested?
Yes, and that is the whole point. One partner’s result on its own cannot tell you the risk to a child, because a recessive condition is only passed on when both parents carry it. MyFamily is priced and reported for two people for exactly this reason.
What if only one of us wants to know?
That happens, and it is much better discussed before you order than after. Each of you owns your own result, and we will not share one partner’s result with the other without their agreement. But the useful output here is a couple report, so if one of you does not want to take part, start with a call to our team rather than an order.
Is this the same as the premarital examination?
No. Egypt’s premarital medical examination is a required step and it screens for a short list of conditions, mainly the inherited blood disorders that are most common here. MyFamily looks across a much wider panel of recessive and X-linked conditions. One does not replace the other, and doing the national examination is not a reason to skip this, or the other way round.
Can this tell us anything about a pregnancy we already have?
Not directly. MyFamily tests the two of you, not a pregnancy. If you are already expecting and the result shows you both carry the same condition, your obstetrician and a clinical geneticist can talk to you about testing the pregnancy itself. That is a separate test and a separate conversation, and time matters, so tell us at the point of ordering if you are already pregnant.
What does a negative result actually mean?
It means neither of you was found to carry any of the conditions on the panel. That lowers your risk substantially. It does not reduce it to zero, because no panel covers every condition and some variants cannot be detected by this method. Any test that claims to rule out all genetic conditions is being oversold.
Do we need a referral from a doctor?
No. You can order directly. The free call before you order exists so that you are not paying for a test that does not answer your question.
A free call with our team, no obligation and no referral needed. They will tell you if this is the wrong test for your situation. If your result needs interpreting afterwards, a session with a clinical geneticist is arranged and charged separately.