The de Watteville memorial lecture: Reproductive technologies and genetic advances in obstetrics and gynecology

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Public fascination with genetics and the new reproductive technologies seem ubiquitious. Although interest in genetic causation for diseases is not new, attention is increasing. There are several predictable reasons for this. One is the overall decrease in deaths due to infection. As a result, genetic factors producing birth defects loom relatively larger. This is also coupled with the public's increased desire for the ideal pregnancy, especially given a decreased population rate. Finally, the public's appetite is whetted by the increasing number of heritable diseases whose molecular basis is being elucidated. We shall focus on three general areas in which genetic technology increasingly impacts upon the obstetrician/gynecologist: genetics of pregnancy losses, genetics of sex determination and the common gynecologic disorders, and finally prenatal genetic diagnosis, particularly in preimplantation genetics and recovering fetal cells from maternal blood. Most of these topics are discussed in a recent text, where extensive references are available [1].