Preventing muscular dystrophy
There is no way of preventing muscular dystrophy when the cause is a spontaneous genetic mutation; however, it is possible to prevent muscular dystrophy when it is passed on by parents. Genetic testing can be used to determine whether parents are carriers of the condition; if the test confirms that one or both of the parents are carriers they can decide whether they want to have children. Antenatal screening can also be used to test for muscular dystrophy; the amniocentesis test can detect muscular dystrophy at around 20 weeks and then the parents can decide whether or not to continue with the pregnancy.