Are we Prepared? Genetic Counseling for Stillbirth in the Sequencing Era.
TL;DR
The findings highlight barriers to SOC genetic evaluation and underscore the need to strengthen institutional protocols, enhance provider education, and develop stillbirth-specific genetic counseling guidelines.
Abstract
Stillbirth affects approximately 1 in 175 pregnancies annually in the United States. Although the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends genetic testing as part of the stillbirth evaluation, families often face barriers to obtaining a complete evaluation. Expansion of the diagnostic evaluation of stillbirth is expected to include exome/genome sequencing, with preliminary studies demonstrating its diagnostic utility. Consequently, genetic counselors (GCs) are expected to play an expanding role in post-stillbirth care. This study explored current genetic counseling practices for stillbirth and GCs' preparedness to support patients in this setting. A cross-sectional survey was distributed across four channels. Eligible participants included GCs in the United States and Canada with at least 1 year of prenatal experience. The survey assessed GC frequency and timing in stillbirth counseling, genetic testing practices, comfort addressing psychosocial needs, and perceived barriers to care. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Group comparisons were performed using Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. Open-ended responses were coded for themes. Seventy-one responses were analyzed. Approximately half of respondents (49.3%, n = 36) reported "never/very rarely/rarely" counseling patients postpartum, despite this being the optimal time to offer genetic testing. Delivering providers (46.5%, n = 33) were often responsible for informing patients about testing and obtaining consent, compared to GCs (11.3%, n = 8). Although chromosomal microarray (CMA) is recommended as the standard of care (SOC), 12.7% (n = 9) of GCs reported not offering CMA for anomalous and non-anomalous stillbirths. Perceived barriers to SOC testing included reported lack of obstetrician awareness (91.5%, n = 65) and challenges coordinating specimen collection (90.1%, n = 64). These findings highlight barriers to SOC genetic evaluation and underscore the need to strengthen institutional protocols, enhance provider education, and develop stillbirth-specific genetic counseling guidelines. GC involvement in these efforts will be essential to promoting equitable access to comprehensive post-stillbirth care as sequencing becomes integrated into practice.