There are two keys to the information you will collect. First, you are looking for relatives who may have genetic health problems you or your children may have inherited (or, in the case of children not yet born, may inherit when they are.)
Second, you are looking for trends that may follow you. Does your father have high cholesterol? You may develop high cholesterol, too. Is your mother a twin? If twins run in your family, you might be predisposed to have twins, too.
There are hundreds of genetic disorders which get passed through the generations. If one of these disorders affects a baby from the time it's born, such as cystic fibrosis or Down syndrome, chances are you already know about it and can record it alongside that relative's name right away. It may be information you should have prior to having a baby.
Other problems, however, develop during a person's lifetime and may be triggered by certain habits, or by the environment. Knowledge of blood relatives with these kinds of medical problems may keep you from developing those same problems because you may be able to avoid the risk factors. For example, if you know your mother's family has been prone to heart disease, you'll know to keep your cholesterol and blood pressure under control, and to review those problems with each checkup.
