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Sickle cell anemia is
an inherited condition. Children who inherit
the genes for sickle cell anemia can’t
prevent developing the condition, although
they can take steps to reduce complications.
People who are in
groups that are at high risk for sickle cell
anemia and who are planning to have children
may want to consider genetic counseling
beforehand. A counselor can help you
understand your risk of having a child with
the condition and help explain the choices
that are open to you. You can get
information about genetic counseling from
health departments, neighborhood health
centers, medical centers, and clinics that
care for people with sickle cell anemia.
A procedure called
pre-implantation genetic diagnosis can
improve the chance that two people with
sickle cell trait will have a child with
normal hemoglobin. Eggs from the mother and
sperm from the father are mixed together in
a laboratory dish. The eggs that become
fertilized are checked for sickle cell
anemia. Fertilized eggs that don’t have
sickle cell genes are then implanted in the
mother’s womb. This is a complex procedure
done only in a few places, and it doesn’t
always work. |
