What is Cystic Fibrosis? Should I be tested?

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a progressive disease that can affect all organ systems but mainly the pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and reproductive organs are affected. Current median survival is 30 years old. If both parents are carriers of the CF gene, they have a 1 in 4 chance of having a child with CF. Our goal is trying to identify couples at risk of having a child with CF. All pregnant patients are offered this test but carrier risk differs depending on ethnicity. People of greatest risk of carrying the gene are of white northern European ancestry, Ashkenazi Jewish descent, those whose partners have CF, and those with a family history of CF. If you are tested and are determined to be a carrier, then your partner should be tested. If you are both carriers, we will discuss further the possibility of prenatal diagnosis by invasive DNA testing. The test to see if you are a carrier for CF can be done along with any other routine blood draw.