Who knows about genetics - cousin marrying cousin

[adventkerzylin]

Dh has an older brother and sister living in the US - they married their cousins who were also brother and sister. Both couples had 3 children each - all healthy.
Last night we had an email to say that one of the sister's dd is marrying one of the brothers ds. These are all arranged marriages as they are Indian and it seems to be what they all want. Is it not tempting fate, not only are they marrying a cousin but their parents also married their cousins?

Ick, how very rural!

no advice, sorry, only judgements!

I remember seeing leaflets on this. I think first cousins can marry first cousins with no problem - but if their children then also marry their first cousins - I wonder if that increases the risk of any problems for their children?

Royal families around the world have done similar for generations, they are fine (or so we are told!)

I know a woman who married a cousin, she says their doctor said they will be fine, but I'm not sure if they were second cousins rather than very near ones.

I must admit that was my first reaction to the news coldtits. Trouble is they are all highly educatedand wealthy with very good jobs in banking and the dd and ds who are to marry are at university in Atlanta studying medecine -

I know I can't change anything or it isn't even my place to comment on it but I was wondering about the risk if they have children.

I'm not so sure about the Royal Families MemysonandI - what about the Russian Royal family?

If one is studying medicine, then they should be well aware of any risks, I would hope.

It is legal after all.

Did you noticed my sarcastic "so we are told"?

I think so much inbreeding has affected them, but... royalty is an extreme case.

yes I did

Didn't brothers and sisters use to marry each other in ancient Egypt?

I read somewhere that the taboo of marrying people from the family was introduced by primitive societies not so much because of health problems of the resultimg children but to prevent family members killing each other to get the couple that they wanted.

According to wikipedia, the likelihood of the ofsrping of cousins having genetic difficulties is the same as a woman with no cosanguinity having a baby at 41. Scond cousins having children together would be equivalent to a woman having a child at 35.
However, here it seems to me that there is a much greater risk. Is making my head hurt, but does this not mean that your SIL will be the great-aunt and grandmother of any offspring, and your BIL will be the great-uncle and grandfather?
How odd.
Is illegal for cousins to marry in some American states, unless one is sterile.

Eek! I don't even think the royal family interbred that closely!

Hopefully the great-grandparents haven't passed any rogue genes down the line otherwise I'd feel a bit nervous

The royal family has had clusters of genetically linked conditions, such as porpheryia and haemophilia.

If you marry your cousin, and your family has a history of some genetic disorders, it increases the chances of a child having the condition.

So the background 'level' of carrying the gene for cystic fibrosis in the white UK population is 1 in 25.

If you have a family history of CF the chances of you marrying a carrier for CF if you marry a cousin is likely to be higher than the risk if you marry outside your family.

If there is an ongoing practice of marrying within the same group of families, it can become increasingly difficult to get tissue donors to match, if yo should need one....this is why it can be very difficult to get kidneys for people from some Bangladeshi communities, where co-sanguinous marriages are the general norm

yes they are increasing th erisks . from soemthing liek 2% or lower to ten percent or higher of congenital problems in theire children.
however , they are also decreasing the risks of marriage breakdown etc. and all sorts of other problems
dsis is married to our first cousin. we have agreed that our kids simply cannot marry each other. however, they may decided differently when they are older.

are cousin marriages from all cultures less likely to end in break down? Or is it that the Indian Subcontinent has cultures that tend to promote family stability more than the West? and con-incidentally also has a larger number of co-sanguinous marriages?

Not being argumentative, just genuinely interested

well, i think its not to do with the genetic aspect. but to do with the fact that you are likely to have more of an idea bout what you are getting yourself into. as you are likley to have known each other forever, and thus know each others dirty secrets. and things like, theire being more buffers around to prevent small problems becoming huge ones. and you are likely to have your own separate relationships with ilaws as they are all actually your own family.
i know that it is also really really bad if things do breakdown, but, so many many people do manage to make it work. and i can see just how well some of them manage.

from my distant memory of my anthropology degree i seem to remember that consensual incest is actually one, or possibly the only, taboo that is across all cultures. however, the biggest taboo is for parent-child relations. cousins often seem to marry across various cultures. the taboo does seem partly based in genes: to be crude, when you pure breed you get all sorts of genetic defects! so pure breed dogs are often less healthy than mongrels. (always a thorn in the side to those racists who believe only in single race relations!)but what i've heard/read, is it does seem on the whole that its only when this is done for generation upon generation upon generation (like the royal family!mad king george etc etc) that it causes problems of a significant level statistically.
much of it is social, because for most societies marrying outside of the clan/family forms bonds and societal growth etc.
shit, toddler woken! off i go...

Jarm or Danjarmouse is married to her cousin iirc

Apparently its ok. Only know this because there was an article in the paper about future girlfriends for prince harry and one of his cousins was in there. But the Royals are mad as hatters so it doesn't bode well does it .

The op's situation is the same as Prince William marrying Princess Beatrice and Prince Harry marrying Princess Eugenie then William's son marrying Harry's daughter. The press would have a field day!

Are they muslim?
I belive muslims (only in the Indian sub continent? elsewhere?) do marry like this and have done so for ages....

I think for most indians it is NOT done for cousins to marry...

mmm, reason why many many genetic disorders more common among groups who have this kind of intermarriage, but I guess if they are doctors ? they would know that already. royal family is enough to put me off arranged marriage between relatives, personally

Geneticists who are trying to identify disease genes very often start with studies of offspring of consanguineous marriages. The risks are very much higher of diseases (even completely unsuspected ones) occurring, and certainly in this case it seems pretty unadvisable that they get married. It is a bit of a lottery though, of course, and they may be completely fine.

don't know anything about the genetics side, but i can give my experience which is; my dad's parents were 1st cousins and his mum's parents also 1st cousins. (this puts him in the same situation as any children of the marriage you are concerned about). My dad is the youngest of 3 children all born 'normal' and healthy. his 2 siblings both died of cancers in their late 40s, but my dad is still going strong and extremely healthy in his early 70s.
hth?

cleopatra married her brother.

My MIL & FIL are cousins. Dh's uncle & aunt are cousins & their ds & dd married & have 3 children with no problems related to genetics.