For genetic counseling programs

Genogram and pedigree tool for genetic counseling

Map hereditary disease patterns with medical-grade precision. Track BRCA, Huntington's, Lynch syndrome, and other genetic conditions across generations. Used by MSc Genetic Counseling students worldwide.

Updated October 2026 · Reviewed by the GenogramAI Clinical Team

Quick answer

In genetic counseling, a pedigree records three or more generations with who is affected, who carries a variant, ages at diagnosis and testing results. GenogramAI draws this with medical quadrants and notes in McGoldrick-style genogram notation, not the NSGC pedigree standard. You use the finished pedigree for risk assessment; the tool does not calculate risk.

Genogram example: Cancer Family History (BRCA) — A BRCA hereditary breast and ovarian cancer family history across three generations. Open this example

Why genetic counselors need specialized tools

Pedigree accuracy directly impacts clinical decisions.

Pedigree Standards Are Precise

Your genetics program requires standardized pedigree notation. Shaded quadrants for affected individuals, carriers with half-fills, consanguinity loops: generic tools can't handle this.

Genetic counseling demands precision. A misdrawn pedigree can lead to incorrect risk calculations and clinical decisions.

Risk Calculations Depend on Accuracy

You're calculating Mendelian inheritance probabilities. If your pedigree doesn't accurately show who's affected, who's a carrier, and who's been tested, your math is meaningless.

When families are making decisions about BRCA testing or Huntington's predictive testing, every symbol matters.

Complex Family Structures

Your patient has multiple consanguineous relationships, half-siblings from different partners, and unknown paternity. Standard tools break down with real clinical families.

Real genetic counseling cases are messy. You need tools that handle the complexity you actually encounter.

Program Documentation Requirements

Your MSc program needs pedigrees for case logs, competency assessments, and board certification. They need to be professional-quality and standardized.

From Cardiff to Melbourne to the US, genetic counseling programs have strict documentation standards.

Built for medical genetics

Features designed for hereditary disease tracking.

Medical Quadrants

4 customizable quadrants per person to track specific conditions: cancer history, cardiac conditions, neurological disorders, and more.

Hereditary Pattern Tracking

Map autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, X-linked, and mitochondrial inheritance patterns across generations.

Consanguinity Support

Properly represent consanguineous relationships with double lines. Essential for recessive disorder risk assessment.

Secure Patient Data

On the Clinical plan, zero-knowledge AES-256-GCM encryption protects sensitive genetic and family health information, and the macOS app keeps secure offline copies.

How does genogram notation differ from NSGC pedigree notation?

Genetics programs teach the NSGC (Bennett) pedigree standard. GenogramAI uses genogram notation, which overlaps for structure but differs for carriers and the proband. More in genogram vs pedigree chart.

Mark	NSGC pedigree	GenogramAI
Male / female / unknown sex	Square, circle, diamond	Square, circle; other identities have their own symbols
Affected individual	Fully shaded symbol	Shade a medical quadrant per condition
Carrier (heterozygote)	Dot in the centre or half-shaded	Use a quadrant or a note; no dedicated carrier dot
Proband / consultand	Arrow (P marks the proband)	No arrow; mark the index person and add a note
Deceased	Diagonal line through the symbol	X through the symbol
Consanguinity	Double relationship line	Supported
Pregnancy loss	Small triangle	Miscarriage and pregnancy symbols
Emotional relationships	Not part of the standard	39 emotional relationship types

Conditions commonly tracked

Map hereditary conditions across generations.

BRCA1/BRCA2 (Hereditary Breast & Ovarian Cancer)
Huntington's Disease
Lynch Syndrome (HNPCC)
Cystic Fibrosis
Sickle Cell Disease
Thalassemia
Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Marfan Syndrome
Neurofibromatosis
Hemophilia A/B
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Polycystic Kidney Disease
Hereditary Hemochromatosis
Fragile X Syndrome

How do inheritance patterns look on a pedigree?

Essential knowledge for accurate pedigree interpretation.

Autosomal Dominant

Conditions like Huntington's disease and Marfan syndrome appear in every generation. Affected individuals have a 50% chance of passing the condition to each child. Look for vertical transmission patterns in the pedigree.Examples: Huntington's, BRCA1/2, Neurofibromatosis, Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Autosomal Recessive

Conditions like cystic fibrosis often skip generations. Both parents must be carriers for a child to be affected (25% risk). Consanguinity increases risk significantly. Look for horizontal patterns among siblings.Examples: Cystic Fibrosis, Sickle Cell, Thalassemia, PKU

X-Linked

Conditions like Hemophilia primarily affect males. Carrier females pass to 50% of sons. No male-to-male transmission. Affected males receive the allele from carrier mothers.Examples: Hemophilia A/B, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Fragile X, Color Blindness

Mitochondrial

Inherited exclusively through the maternal line. All children of affected mothers inherit the mutation, but only daughters pass it on. Variable expression is common.Examples: MELAS, MERRF, Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy

Genogram example: Huntington's Disease Family — Autosomal dominant: Huntington's disease in every generation. Open this example

Genogram example: Cystic Fibrosis Carrier Pattern — Autosomal recessive: cystic fibrosis carriers. Open this example

Genogram example: Hemophilia Inheritance Pattern — X-linked: hemophilia through carrier mothers. Open this example

Genetic counseling programs worldwide

Where genograms and pedigrees are mandatory curriculum.

Institution	Program	Country
Cardiff University	MSc in Genetic & Genomic Counselling	UK
University of Melbourne	Master of Genetic Counselling	Australia
King's College London	MSc Genomic Medicine	UK
University of Coimbra	Master in Clinical Laboratorial Genetics	Portugal
US Accredited Programs	ACGC-accredited MS in Genetic Counseling	USA
McGill University	MSc Genetic Counselling	Canada

How do you create a genetic pedigree in GenogramAI?

1
Add family members
Start with the proband and build out. Add parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents.
2
Mark affected status
Use the medical quadrant system to indicate who has specific conditions, who's a carrier, and who's been tested.
3
Add genetic details
Include age of diagnosis, specific gene mutations (if known), and testing status for each family member.
4
Assess risk
Use the finished pedigree for your inheritance calculations and risk models (GenogramAI documents the family; it does not calculate risk), then counsel patients.
5
Export for documentation
Download a high-resolution PNG for case logs, board exams, and clinical documentation (PDF and SVG on paid plans).

For coursework, the free plan covers 2 genograms with PNG export. Professional ($12/month) adds PDF, SVG and GEDCOM export and file import; Clinical ($29/month) adds zero-knowledge encryption for identifiable patient data.

Start your pedigree free

Genetic counseling pedigrees: questions

Can GenogramAI create proper genetic pedigrees?

Yes. GenogramAI supports the medical quadrant system for tracking specific conditions, deceased/affected status indicators, and carrier notation. GenogramAI uses McGoldrick-style genogram notation, not the NSGC (Bennett) pedigree standard, so some pedigree marks such as the proband arrow and carrier dots are shown with quadrants and notes rather than their NSGC symbols. Check your program's requirements before submitting.

Does it support consanguinity?

Yes. You can indicate consanguineous relationships, which is essential for calculating recessive disorder risk in populations with high rates of cousin marriage or in isolated communities.

Can I track specific genetic conditions?

Absolutely. Each person has 4 customizable medical quadrants where you can track specific conditions (e.g., breast cancer, colon cancer, cardiac disease, neurological conditions). You can also add notes for genetic test results.

Is it suitable for MSc genetic counseling programs?

Yes. Students at programs worldwide use GenogramAI for case documentation, competency assessments, and board preparation. The professional export (high-resolution PNG) meets academic and clinical documentation standards.

How does it handle multigenerational cancer histories?

GenogramAI supports unlimited generations. You can map cancer histories with specific ages of diagnosis, cancer types, and outcomes. That pedigree is what you then use for empiric risk assessment and for spotting hereditary cancer syndromes; GenogramAI documents the family, it does not calculate risk.

What's the difference between a pedigree and a genogram?

In genetics, 'pedigree' typically refers to a family tree focused on inheritance patterns of specific traits or conditions. 'Genogram' is a broader term that includes emotional relationships and psychosocial factors. For genetic counseling, GenogramAI provides the medical precision of a pedigree with the flexibility to add clinical notes.

Can I indicate carrier status vs. affected status?

Yes. You can use the medical quadrants and notes to distinguish between carriers (unaffected individuals who carry one copy of a recessive allele), affected individuals, and those with unknown status. This distinction is critical for accurate risk calculations.

How do I show unknown or uncertain information?

Add notes to indicate uncertainty. For unknown paternity, genetic status, or uncertain diagnoses, document what is known vs. reported vs. suspected. This transparency is essential for accurate genetic counseling.