Human genetics is the study of genetics and biological variation in Homo sapiens and medical genetics is the science of such variation as it relates to health and disease. The scope of medical genetics includes teaching, basic research, genetic counseling, as well as genetic testing services. These services offer genetic testing for confirmation of clinical diagnoses, predictive genetic testing and prenatal genetic testing. There are clear gender-specific differences in the importance and consequences of the specific application of such genetic tests (e.g. genetic aspects of infertility, hereditary cancer syndromes). Accordingly, gender-specific genetic counseling must be part of the management of every prenatal, postnatal or predictive genetic testing.