Guides to family health history
Guides to family health history, hereditary risk, and preparing for the clinical conversations that follow — each one checked against the published guidelines doctors use.
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Should you be screened earlier if cancer runs in your family?
For some cancers, a family history moves the recommended start of screening earlier — colorectal screening is the clearest worked example. Here is what the guidelines actually say, when an earlier start applies, and how to find out whether it applies to you.
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How to prepare for a genetic counseling appointment
A practical checklist for a genetic counseling visit: the family health history to gather, the records to bring, and the questions worth asking, so your hour with the counselor goes further.
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Should you get genetic testing based on your family history?
Genetic testing is worth considering when your family history fits patterns the guidelines recognise. Here is what those patterns are, what a positive result would and would not tell you, and why the decision belongs with a genetic counselor rather than an app.
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What does it mean if your mother had breast cancer at 45?
A close relative diagnosed young is a recognised higher-risk signal in clinical guidelines. Here is what that signal means, what raises or lowers the concern, and what to bring to the doctor who can assess it for you.