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Sickle cell anemia in mixed race babies

1 reply

Kayl23 · 26/06/2021 08:08

Morning ladies,

I just have a query following my booking in appointment with the midwife yesterday because if I'm honest, she seemed a bit useless and couldn't answer any of my questions.

For reference, I am white and my partner is mixed race (his mum is white English and his dad is half Nigerian). While I was at my appointment she mentioned how I didn't need to worry about the baby developing sickle cell anemia because I'm white and it's mostly common in people of African heritage. So I pointed out that my partner is part Nigerian and asked whether this meant the baby has an increased risk of sickle cell anemia. She said something along the lines of "no because you don't have it, so it will be fine" then followed that up with "well the chances may be higher because your partner could be a carrier of the gene without knowing" and then changed her mind again back to "but you are white so it's unlikely".

I just feel really confused now. From what I've read on the NHS website it seems as though it would be possible for my partner in particular to be a carrier and therefore pass it on to our baby, but I'm still really confused and wondered if anyone on here knows anything about it? I know I should have pushed the issue more with my midwife but honestly I just wanted to get the appointment over with and find out elsewhere because she was clueless and I was starting to get quite mad!

OP posts:
Nightbear · 26/06/2021 08:25

Your partner might carry the gene that causes the disease (be a carrier) but they don’t have sickle cell disease. To have sickle cell disease you need to inherit the gene from both parents.

To be a carrier of the trait - not be ill but have the ability to pass on the gene - you need one parent to carry the trait. So if your partner is a carrier, there’s a 1 in 4 chance that your child will be a carrier but that doesn’t cause any illness.

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