Cystic Fibrosis and having children...

Hey Tara.

First off, I think it's great that you're considering having children :) Now, if you are a carrier of the gene, and your husband definitely has CF, then it is not only possible for your children to be gene-carriers, but to be born with the disease itself as well. I believe there is a very large possibility that one of those two scenarios will occur, but it is possible to have a perfectly healthy baby.

On a side note, I personally don't think that you should worry at all about your child being a carrier of the gene. Yes, it is a definite possibility, but I do not think it's a huge life-altering occurence. The child in question would just have to be aware that he/she has the gene, and when looking for a future spouse be aware of the possible risks of having children if the spouse is indeed a carrier also. My parents both have the gene, and out of the 4 kids they had, only one of them has CF (me), and my oldest brother is only a carrier of the gene, and it has not affected him at all in his life. In fact, he just got married, and his new wife was tested for the gene, it came out negative, and all is clear!

While the gene is not too much to worry about, the actual disease is something to consider when thinking about having children. while modern medicine has made extreme advances in the last 30 years, CF is still a disease that needs a lot of attention (in the majority of cases) in a child's younger years. Between therapies, medications, possible sickness/hospitalizations, doctor appointments, etc, CF takes a lot of work and dedication from the parents. I would definitely say to take all the facts into consideration to make sure you're ready for the possible outcome of your children being born with the disease. But I think having children is a great decision :) Plus, in your case, if you had a child with CF, at least you could be somewhat prepared because your husband grew up with the disease. For my parents it was like walking in a dark room without a light; they had no idea what was going on :)

At the risk of sounding corny and slightly sappy, even though I have CF, and have known about it now for almost 18 years (I'm almost 20), I'm glad that my parents had me :)

Good luck!

Kosdancer,

I didn't know that if a person has CF and has children with someone who had the gene that that meant all the children would DEFINITELY have the gene at least. My only experience comes from two gene-carrying parents, not one with the gene and one with the disease itself. I guess I learned something new:)

But I agree with what kosdancer says, I would think carefully on this decision and the extra  responsibility and hardships that may come with it.

Cody, normally, those figures are right. But, if one parent actually has CF, they have 2 carrier genes and no 'normal' genes to pass on, meaning the child will definately be a carrier. If the second parent also has a CF carrier gene, they have a 50/50 chance of passing on their carrier gene or a 'normal' gene. If 2 CF genes are passed on then the child will definately have CF, if only one from one parent is passed on, then they will definately be a carrier. In this situation, the child is going to have at least 1 half of the CF gene, but you need 2 for the CFTR fault to actually kick in-if that makes sense.

If 2 people with CF had a child-then their child would definately have CF without question, as both parents would pass on a faulty CF gene, as they have no none faulty CFTR gene to pass on.

Genetics is fun huh?........And confusing:S

Tara, you can always consider IVF, where they will remove all the CF faults from the embryo's. Considering your partener has CF, and he is the male one, you're probably going to need genetic councilling, as one place the CF gene is active in most people is in the vans deferen where it blocks the tubes that carry sperm.

 

I'm also 23, though I'm the one with CF. My husband has no carrier genes at all. But 6 years of trying and I can't get pregnant, so kinda put it on the back burner until we can see a gynaechologist.

Hope this helps, and hope things go well for you.

Gem