Got blood test back today help please?

Question

my results indicate im at high risk in the tests sickle and thalassaemia i dont quite understand what this means. is it genetic blood diseases? if so what does that mean im also 16 weeks pregnant help would be appreciated thank you

Answer 1

wow did they tell you anything at the doctors?? these are pretty serious conditions

Answer 2

heip  

Answer 3

Those are both genetic blood diseases that specifically affect hemoglobin. Genes occur in pairs, and these diseases are autosomal recessive. People who have a dominant copy and a recessive copy of the gene are healthy, but can potentially pass on the recessive gene to their children. However, your baby's father would also have to pass along a recessive copy of the gene in order for your baby to develop these conditions. If both you and the father each carry a dominant copy and a recessive copy of the genes involved, then the chances of your baby having one of these inherited diseases is about 25%. If the father has two dominant copies of the gene, then your baby will be fine (but may be a carrier, which means they could pass the disease along to their own children).

Talk to your doctor about the next steps - he or she may want to test the father, or they may want to do an amniocentesis on the baby, or both.

FYI - these genes aren't all bad. For instance, in people who are carriers of the sickle cell gene but also have a normal copy of the gene, it actually protects you against malaria. People whose ancestors are from areas where malaria is common (like sub-Saharan Africa or areas around the Mediterranean Sea) are more likely to be carriers of the gene.

Answer 4

sickle cell i believe is genetic, that doesnt mean your baby will be born with it though,

you should be speaking to your doctor about this

Answer 5

If a person inherits two sickle haemoglobins, one from each parent, they will have a condition called sickle cell anaemia (Hb SS). Where the sickle haemoglobin is inherited with another unusual haemoglobin, for example haemoglobin C, the individual will have sickle haemoglobin C syndrome (Hb SC). If sickle is inherited with beta thalassaemia, the individual will have sickle beta thalassaemia syndrome (Hb SbThal).

In each pregnancy, there are always FOUR POSSIBLE combinations of haemoglobin genes that the child can take. These are known as CHANCES.

Testing the baby in the womb is called PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS and can be done as early as ten weeks of pregnancy in most cases. The test is done in a hospital. The result is usually available within 2-14 days. This depends on the type of test you are offered.