Health guide

Medical genogram

Map your family's health history to identify genetic risks, inform preventive care, and empower better health decisions for you and future generations.

Updated October 2026 · By the GenogramAI Team

Quick answer

A medical genogram is a family diagram of at least three generations that records each relative's health conditions, age at diagnosis and cause of death. Colour-coded shading inside each symbol makes hereditary patterns, such as early heart disease or breast cancer in several generations, visible at a glance, so clinicians can plan screening or refer for genetic counseling.

Why medical genograms matter

Your family health history is one of the strongest predictors of your own health risks. A medical genogram visualizes this history, making patterns visible that might otherwise go unnoticed—like heart disease striking men in their 50s, or breast cancer appearing in multiple generations.

Healthcare providers use medical genograms for genetic counseling, cancer risk assessment, cardiac screening decisions, and preventive care planning. For individuals, it's a powerful tool for understanding your health legacy and taking proactive steps.

Identify genetic risks

See hereditary patterns that may affect your health

Inform prevention

Guide screening schedules and preventive measures

Help family members

Share health information with relatives who share your genes

Medical genogram example

Below is a medical genogram example showing hereditary conditions tracked across three generations. Each condition has its own colour, and the key lists them by name, making patterns immediately visible to clinicians.

Genogram example: Medical Genogram Tutorial — Medical genogram example: three generations with coronary artery disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and mental health conditions, each in its own colour. Open this example

Genogram example: Heart Disease Hereditary Pattern — Heart disease pattern: cardiovascular risk tracked across three generations. Open this example

Genogram example: Cancer Family History (BRCA) — BRCA cancer history: hereditary breast cancer risk mapping. Open this example

Genogram example: Genetic Counseling Genogram — Genetic counseling: how clinicians use genograms for risk assessment. Open this example

See the full Williams family medical genogram walkthrough, or a family genogram showing the inheritance of diabetes.

Medical genogram symbols

A medical genogram uses the ordinary genogram symbols and adds colour and text for health. These are the markers GenogramAI draws; the person and line symbols are in the genogram key.

Symbol	Marker	What it means
	Quadrant shading	One coloured corner of the symbol per condition. Here: heart disease, cancer and diabetes in the same person.
	Halves (Classic shading)	Left half shaded for a physical or mental illness, bottom half for alcohol or drug use; both together fill three quarters. Each condition keeps its colour.
	Active condition	Solid fill in the condition's colour.
	In recovery or remission	Partial fill.
	Suspected	Hatched fill: suspected or not yet diagnosed.
	Deceased, cause of death	X through the symbol, age at death inside it, and the cause written underneath, for example "† Heart attack". There is no separate symbol for a cause of death.
	Age and age of onset	Current age (or age at death) inside the symbol, birth year above it, and the age at diagnosis written with the condition, for example "Breast cancer, dx 42".

Person shapes, partner lines and child lines are the same as in any genogram: see the genogram key and legend.

Medical genogram colour coding

Medical genograms use colour to identify conditions at a glance. There is no single colour system every clinician uses, so always include a key. These are GenogramAI's standard category colours; the app also has a separate Alcohol category and lets you add custom conditions in 15 colours.

Heart disease

Heart disease, hypertension, stroke

Cancer

Any cancer; name the type and age at diagnosis

Diabetes

Type 1 or type 2 diabetes

Mental health

Psychiatric conditions not listed separately

Substance use

Drug use disorders (alcohol has its own category)

Neurological

Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, epilepsy, migraine

Respiratory

Asthma, COPD

Autoimmune

Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, MS

Genetic

Sickle cell, cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, BRCA

Reproductive

Infertility, PCOS, pregnancy complications

Anxiety

Bipolar

Depression

PTSD

OCD

ADHD

Eating disorder

Schizophrenia

Trauma

Learning disability

Other

Anything without its own category

Condition status indicators

In GenogramAI each condition can carry a status, so you can tell an active condition from one in recovery or one that is only suspected: solid fill for active, partial fill for recovery or remission, and hatching for suspected. This is especially useful for tracking substance use recovery and cancer remission across generations. These status markers are a GenogramAI convention, so name them in your key when you share the chart.

How to draw a medical genogram, step by step

1
Start with the index person
Draw yourself (or the patient) in the bottom row with a double outline. Squares are males, circles are females.
2
Add parents and siblings
Draw both parents above, joined by a horizontal marriage line, and drop a vertical line to each child, oldest on the left.
3
Add grandparents, aunts and uncles
Complete three generations on both sides. Aunts, uncles and cousins matter because they share part of your genetic background.
4
Record ages and deaths
Write the current age inside each symbol and the birth year above it. For someone who has died, draw an X, write the age at death, and note the cause.
5
Choose your condition colours
Decide which conditions you are tracking and give each one a colour, or use the standard colours in the table below. Pick quadrants or classic halves for the whole chart.
6
Shade each affected person
Fill the section for each condition the person has, and write the condition name and age at diagnosis under the symbol. Use the active, recovery and suspected markers.
7
Add a key and review the patterns
Add a key that names every colour. Then look for the red flags below: the same condition in several generations, early onset, rare cancers.

What to include in a medical genogram

For each family member

Current age or age at death
Cause of death (if applicable)
Major health conditions
Age when condition was diagnosed
Surgeries or major treatments
Lifestyle factors (smoking, obesity)

Conditions to track

Heart disease and stroke
Cancer (type, location, age)
Diabetes (Type 1 or 2)
Mental health conditions
Autoimmune disorders
Alzheimer's/dementia
Birth defects
Genetic syndromes

Red flags in medical genograms

These patterns suggest higher genetic risk and warrant discussion with a healthcare provider:

Pattern	Example
Same condition in multiple generations	Grandmother, mother, and aunt all had breast cancer
Earlier-than-typical onset	Heart attack before age 55 (men) or 65 (women)
Multiple family members with same cancer	Two or more first-degree relatives with colon cancer
Rare cancers	Male breast cancer, ovarian cancer at young age
Bilateral or multiple primary cancers	Cancer in both breasts, or multiple different cancers
Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry with breast/ovarian cancer	Higher rate of BRCA mutations in this population

Medical genogram vs pedigree chart

Both are three-generation family diagrams with similar shapes, but they answer different questions.

	Medical genogram	Pedigree chart
Main purpose	Family health history plus the family context around it	Inheritance of one condition or trait
Used by	Primary care, nursing, social work, therapy, counseling	Clinical genetics and genetic counseling
Conditions per chart	Many at once, one colour each	Usually one; shading means "affected"
Relationships	Marriages, divorces, emotional lines (close, conflict, cutoff)	Biological relationships only
Carrier status	Written as a condition or note	Standard dot-in-centre carrier symbol
Notation	McGoldrick-style genogram notation	Standardized pedigree nomenclature (NSGC; Bennett et al.)
Generations	At least three	At least three

More detail in genogram vs pedigree chart.

How to use your medical genogram

1
Share with your doctor
Bring your medical genogram to annual physicals and specialist appointments. It provides immediate context for your health risks and helps providers make informed recommendations about screening and prevention.
2
Consider genetic counseling
If your genogram shows concerning patterns (especially with cancer or early-onset heart disease), ask about genetic counseling. A counselor can assess whether genetic testing might be appropriate.
3
Adjust screening schedules
Family history often changes recommended screening ages. For example, if a parent had colon cancer at 50, you should typically start screening at 40 (10 years before their diagnosis age).
4
Share with family
Your siblings, children, and other relatives share your genetic background. Sharing your medical genogram (or encouraging relatives to contribute to it) helps everyone understand their risks.
5
Update regularly
Family health histories change. Update your genogram when family members receive new diagnoses, and review it before major medical appointments.

Privacy considerations

Medical genograms contain sensitive health information. Get permission before adding other family members' health information; store digital genograms securely (the GenogramAI Clinical plan adds AES-256-GCM zero-knowledge encryption); be aware that genetic information may have insurance implications; and discuss sharing preferences with family members before distributing.

Free medical genogram template

A medical genogram template gives you a ready-made structure to fill in your own family's health history. The most useful templates follow the three-generation standard and include quadrant notation for tracking multiple condition categories at once.

Printable medical family history genogram template with a four-quadrant symbol key — Medical family history genogram template: three generations, index person, and a four-quadrant key you define.

What a good template includes

Three-generation layout (grandparents → parents → children)
Quadrant notation for up to 4 condition categories
Color legend for each condition type
Age and cause of death fields per person
Risk summary section for generation 3
Space for notes on age of onset

Download PDF PowerPoint SVG

Genogram example: Breast Cancer Multi-Generational — Multigenerational cancer genogram: three-generation layout with cancer history notation. Open this example

Start from a template in GenogramAI

GenogramAI includes built-in medical genogram templates. Describe your family and the AI generates a properly structured diagram with medical shading, colour coding and condition labels, ready to share with your doctor or genetic counselor. Create a free account, or browse all genogram templates.

Medical genogram FAQ

What is a medical genogram?

A medical genogram is a family diagram of at least three generations that records each relative's health conditions, age at diagnosis and cause of death with colour-coded symbols. Clinicians use it to spot hereditary patterns, decide on screening and refer for genetic counseling.

What symbols are used in a medical genogram?

A medical genogram uses standard genogram symbols (square for male, circle for female, X for deceased, horizontal lines for partners, vertical lines for children) and adds colour inside each symbol for health conditions. In GenogramAI each condition category has its own colour, for example heart disease red, cancer purple, diabetes green and mental health blue, and the key lists every colour used.

What conditions should I include in a medical genogram?

Include conditions with genetic components: heart disease, cancer (especially breast, colon, ovarian), diabetes, mental health conditions, substance abuse, autoimmune disorders, birth defects, and any condition that appears in multiple family members. Also note causes of death and age at diagnosis.

How many generations should a medical genogram include?

Ideally three generations (you, parents, grandparents), but four generations is better for identifying patterns. Include aunts, uncles, and cousins as well, since they share genetic information. The more complete the picture, the better the risk assessment.

Can a medical genogram predict if I will get a disease?

A medical genogram shows risk patterns, not predictions. Having family members with a condition increases your statistical risk but doesn't guarantee you'll develop it. The genogram helps healthcare providers recommend appropriate screening and preventive measures.

Should I bring a medical genogram to doctor appointments?

Yes. A medical genogram is one of the most valuable tools you can bring. It gives providers instant insight into your genetic risk factors and helps them make informed recommendations about screening, testing, and prevention strategies.

What if I don't know my family medical history?

Document what you know and note what's unknown. Even partial information is valuable. For adoptees or those with limited family contact, genetic testing can provide some insights. Unknown family history itself is important medical information.

What is the difference between a medical genogram and a pedigree chart?

A pedigree chart is a genetics diagram used primarily in research and clinical genetics to show inheritance of a single trait or condition using standardized symbols. A medical genogram is broader — it tracks multiple conditions simultaneously, includes relationship dynamics, and is used in primary care, therapy, and counseling settings. Genograms also capture psychosocial context that pedigree charts omit, such as family relationships and emotional patterns alongside health data.

Is there a free medical genogram template?

Yes. GenogramAI has a free printable medical family history genogram template (PDF, PowerPoint and SVG) with a three-generation layout and a four-quadrant key you define yourself. To build and edit one digitally, a free account gives you 2 genograms with medical quadrants and PNG export, so you can share the result with your healthcare provider.

Why medical genograms matter

Identify genetic risks

Inform prevention

Help family members

Medical genogram example

Medical genogram symbols

Medical genogram colour coding

How to draw a medical genogram, step by step

Start with the index person

Add parents and siblings

Add grandparents, aunts and uncles

Record ages and deaths

Choose your condition colours

Shade each affected person

Add a key and review the patterns