It's very possible you’ve never heard of SNPs! Many, if not most, expectant mothers haven't. Let us explain what they are — and why understanding your SNPs is crucial to an optimally healthy pregnancy.

Let us explain what they are — and why understanding yours is crucial to an optimally healthy pregnancy.

SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) are genetic variations that help predict how an individual will respond to certain pharmaceuticals, how susceptible that individual is to the effects of environmental toxins, and that individual’s risk of developing diseases. Human DNA can contain a multitude of SNPs. SNPs can also be utilized in the tracking of the inheritance of disease-associated genetic variants within families.

Here's more granular information about what SNPs are and how they occur: An SNP is a DNA sequence variation that occurs when a single nucleotide (thymine, adenine, guanine, or cytosine) in the genome sequence gets altered — and the particular change or alteration is present in at least 1% of the population. SNPs can tell scientists, geneticists, and/or physicians whether an individual will react positively to a specific treatment, therapy, or intervention.

In this regard, SNPs are in some ways akin to a magical crystal ball. SNPs can tell the future — and they can often tell us how someone will respond to a specific therapeutic intervention. They can tell us what's going to happen before it happens. That might seem like magic — but actually, it's science!

Knowing which SNPs you do and don’t have in your DNA can help you have an optimally healthy pregnancy from conception through delivery.

When it comes to understanding your unique set of SNPs, a popular adage holds true: Knowledge is power.

Read on to learn more about why.

Most expecting parents know that good nutrition is important for maternal and fetal health. But they may not know why. Let's deep-dive and talk about the ways in which certain key nutrients are crucial for an optimally healthy pregnancy.

Choline is a key nutrient that serves a variety of important roles in the body. Having the right amount of choline on board is crucial if your baby's brain and spinal cord are to develop in a healthy way.

DHA is also of vital importance — it's an essential fat that plays an invaluable role in optimal fetal development.

It’s important to be aware, however, that SNPs can affect the quantity of folate and DHA a pregnant woman requires. That’s a big part of why it’s so important to really understand your SNPs and what they mean.

If you’re eager to learn how you can ascertain which SNPs your DNA contains, you’ve come to the right place! SNP Therapeutics offers both the Genate Test and Nutrition Counseling to help you in your journey to becoming parents. Take the nutrition quiz to see how Genate can help tailor your prenatal nutrition to your unique genetic signature.

With the Genate Test, you’ll open the door to optimizing your baby's health — as well as your own — in a way never before possible.

And that’s a beautiful thing.