[Genetic counseling. Past time, present time, future].

Recent literature concerning the effects of genetic counselling is reviewed. Although the vast increase in our knowledge about the human genome has opened new possibilities for genetic diagnosis, few scientific investigations consider the questions of the social and individual impact. In general, there is an international consensus that genetic counselling is and should be non-directive, and analyses of reproductive decisions following counselling conclude that it seems to reinforce decisions already made by the families, and that objective genetic risks only play a limited role for the decisions, but the availability of prenatal diagnosis may contribute to the families' desire to have more children.