Goals of Early Check
The goal of Early Check is to learn how to use new screening tests for health conditions that affect babies so that they can get the best start.
Early Check may diagnose infants with health conditions that have treatments but cannot yet be cured. Some parents want to know about the baby's health as soon as possible. Other parents want to wait and see how their baby develops. Parents should make the best choice for their families.
The main benefits to joining are:
- Learning more about a baby's health
- For some conditions, early treatment can be life-saving
- Learning information that may be important to others in the family
- Helping scientists learn the best ways to identify health conditions in babies early
The main risks to joining are:
- For a baby whose screening test is not normal, parents may worry and feel uncertain about the baby's future.
- Parents may worry about the privacy of their or their baby's information
We do our best to make these risks as small as possible.
Take your time and do what feels right. You can contact the Early Check team via phone or email to answer any questions you have. Parents can change their mind and withdraw from Early Check at any time. (But if the baby's Early Check screening test has already been done, we will still contact the mother/birthing parent if the screening test is not normal.)
