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TUCSON - On today's "Baby on the Way" segment on News 4 Tucson at 4 p.m., our pregnancy contributor, Judith Schuler, stopped by to talk about cystic fibrosis.

Below you can find information from Judith's discussion with News 4 Tucson's Allison Alexander:

What is cystic fibrosis?

• CF is genetic disorder that causes body to produce sticky mucus that builds up in lungs and other organs
• can lead to respiratory and digestive problems

Can a woman be tested to see if her baby will have CF?

• both parents can be tested before pregnancy
• test uses blood or saliva sample
• chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis can be done in 1st or 2nd trimester of pregnancy to see if baby has cystic fibrosis

Who should have the test?

• medical experts urge Caucasians to have CF test; CF is most common birth defect in this group
• screening also recommended if you're at higher risk for CF, such as Ashkenazi Jews

What will the tests show?

• test before pregnancy will show if either parent is a carrier of CF gene-for baby to have cystic fibrosis, both parents' must be carriers
• if only one parent is carrier, baby will not have CF
• test during pregnancy will show if baby has CF

• If a couple is at risk, then what?testing is personal decision
• many couples would not do anything, even if test positive
• however testing is recommended so care can be provided to baby immediately after birth and treatment can begin