‘My funky genetics’: BRCA1/2 mutation carriers’ understanding of genetic inheritance and reproductive merger in the context of new repro-genetic technologies

摘要

INTRODUCTIONDeleterious mutations in the BRCA1/BRCA2 genes elevate lifetime risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Each child of a mutation-positive parent has a 50% chance of inheriting it. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) permits prospective parents to avoid transmitting a BRCA1/2 mutation to a child, introducing predictability into a process historically defined by chance. This investigation explored how BRCA1/2 mutation carriers understand genetic inheritance and consider a child’s inheritance of a BRCA1/2 mutation, given the opportunities that exist to pursue PGD.