Where to have testing performed but why

Any physician such as a pediatrician, neurologist, geneticist, or obstetrician may order telomere testing.  The test involves a simple blood test of 1-2 tsp per sample. The sample may be drawn at your local physician's lab or office then sent to one of several referring laboratories that perform the testing. The cytogenetic laboratory at the University of Chicago has been performing telomere analysis since 1999 and was one of the institutions involved in developing this technology. We accept clinical samples from all over the country, however if insurance or other constraints occur, we have provided a link to a listing of other laboratories performing telomere testing. 

If an abnormality is found on the telomere analysis, we recommend follow-up with a specialist in chromosome disorders, a geneticist and/or a genetic counselor, to discuss the significance of the abnormal result with you.