Find Out if You Are at Risk
Dr. Lori Davidson has been serving the women of Johnson County since 1992. In her time as an obstetrician, she has delivered enough babies to populate a town the size of Whiteland.
“Dr. Lori,” as her patients call her, stopped delivering babies a few years ago, but she still provides gynecological care for women of all ages. According to Dr. Lori, “A significant change in healthcare is the availability of genetic testing. Many patients don’t know that genetic testing is easily available, and the cost of tests is covered by most insurance companies.”
She adds, “Genetic testing allows us to detect health issues and create a plan.” The most common genetic test that she provides helps determine an increased risk for developing certain types of cancer.
More than two years ago, Angelina Jolie wrote about her choice to have a risk-reducing double mastectomy after learning that she was positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation. Like many individuals in our community, she has lost several close relatives to cancer including her mother, grandmother and aunt. In a March 2015 New York Times op-ed article, she discussed her journey that ultimately led to her decision.
“Information is a beautiful thing,” Dr. Lori stated. “Knowing if you are at risk or not allows us to develop a course of action. It can be lifestyle modification, more frequent cancer screenings or being proactive as Angelina Jolie was and remove an organ before it becomes cancerous.”
“Some people are hesitant to have the test, but you should do it for your family and you. Knowing the risk allows you to share that information with your children who can then act accordingly,” Dr. Lori says. It is not just daughters who should be tested. A son has a 50/50 chance of inheriting the cancer gene if one parent has it.
Dr. Lori invites everyone to attend the Genetic Testing Hereditary Cancer Open House on April 25. You will learn more about genetic testing and can find out if you are at risk for certain cancers. See more information below.
