Daughter & Son-In-Law Carriers

[michellex3]

I'm new to the forum so please forgive me if I'm a bit disorganized.

My daughter, who is 20, and her husband, also 20, just found out they are both carriers of CF. I have a granddaughter who is 14 months who has been sick off and on since birth. She only ever had fever's and diarrhea. She has had all kinds of bloodwork and tests done, but no one has ever said anything about CF. We are having her tested next month to find out if she's a carrier of CF.

My daughter just found out she's pregnant again and was told by her ob/gyn that 1 in 4 children will have CF and is sending her and her husband to a genetic specialist in Jacksonville. Of course we are all on pins and needles regarding everything we just found out. The odd thing is neither my mother or father's side has CF and we just found out my son-in-laws family doesn't have it either. I can't understand how both of them are and/or became carriers? Could someone explain this to me?

Michelle

 

[michellex3]

I'm new to the forum so please forgive me if I'm a bit disorganized.

My daughter, who is 20, and her husband, also 20, just found out they are both carriers of CF. I have a granddaughter who is 14 months who has been sick off and on since birth. She only ever had fever's and diarrhea. She has had all kinds of bloodwork and tests done, but no one has ever said anything about CF. We are having her tested next month to find out if she's a carrier of CF.

My daughter just found out she's pregnant again and was told by her ob/gyn that 1 in 4 children will have CF and is sending her and her husband to a genetic specialist in Jacksonville. Of course we are all on pins and needles regarding everything we just found out. The odd thing is neither my mother or father's side has CF and we just found out my son-in-laws family doesn't have it either. I can't understand how both of them are and/or became carriers? Could someone explain this to me?

Michelle

 

[michellex3]

I'm new to the forum so please forgive me if I'm a bit disorganized.

My daughter, who is 20, and her husband, also 20, just found out they are both carriers of CF. I have a granddaughter who is 14 months who has been sick off and on since birth. She only ever had fever's and diarrhea. She has had all kinds of bloodwork and tests done, but no one has ever said anything about CF. We are having her tested next month to find out if she's a carrier of CF.

My daughter just found out she's pregnant again and was told by her ob/gyn that 1 in 4 children will have CF and is sending her and her husband to a genetic specialist in Jacksonville. Of course we are all on pins and needles regarding everything we just found out. The odd thing is neither my mother or father's side has CF and we just found out my son-in-laws family doesn't have it either. I can't understand how both of them are and/or became carriers? Could someone explain this to me?

Michelle

 

[ktsmom]

A CF carrier has one mutated CFTR gene and one normal gene. When carriers of CF have a child together, the possible combinations and probabilities are (remember the child gets one gene from each parent):

mutated gene and normal gene - 50%; this child is a carrier but does not have CF
mutated gene and mutated gene - 25%; this child has CF
normal gene and normal gene - 25%; this child does not have CF and is not a carrier

The '1 in 4' that the ob/gyn is quoting is true when two carriers have children, as demonstrated above.

Lots of people, us included, had no KNOWN history of CF in our families. Most people with CF died in early childhood prior to identification (1939 I think) and viable treatments (starting in approx. the 1950's ?). Lots of people on here know more than I but not everyone reads the Newly Diagnosed posts.

Also I urge your existing granddaughter to be tested for CF as soon as possible. Best wishes to your family.

Dana
Mom to Katy (3, cf) and Kyra (6, no cf)

 

[ktsmom]

A CF carrier has one mutated CFTR gene and one normal gene. When carriers of CF have a child together, the possible combinations and probabilities are (remember the child gets one gene from each parent):

mutated gene and normal gene - 50%; this child is a carrier but does not have CF
mutated gene and mutated gene - 25%; this child has CF
normal gene and normal gene - 25%; this child does not have CF and is not a carrier

The '1 in 4' that the ob/gyn is quoting is true when two carriers have children, as demonstrated above.

Lots of people, us included, had no KNOWN history of CF in our families. Most people with CF died in early childhood prior to identification (1939 I think) and viable treatments (starting in approx. the 1950's ?). Lots of people on here know more than I but not everyone reads the Newly Diagnosed posts.

Also I urge your existing granddaughter to be tested for CF as soon as possible. Best wishes to your family.

Dana
Mom to Katy (3, cf) and Kyra (6, no cf)

 

[ktsmom]

A CF carrier has one mutated CFTR gene and one normal gene. When carriers of CF have a child together, the possible combinations and probabilities are (remember the child gets one gene from each parent):

mutated gene and normal gene - 50%; this child is a carrier but does not have CF
mutated gene and mutated gene - 25%; this child has CF
normal gene and normal gene - 25%; this child does not have CF and is not a carrier

The '1 in 4' that the ob/gyn is quoting is true when two carriers have children, as demonstrated above.

Lots of people, us included, had no KNOWN history of CF in our families. Most people with CF died in early childhood prior to identification (1939 I think) and viable treatments (starting in approx. the 1950's ?). Lots of people on here know more than I but not everyone reads the Newly Diagnosed posts.

Also I urge your existing granddaughter to be tested for CF as soon as possible. Best wishes to your family.

Dana
Mom to Katy (3, cf) and Kyra (6, no cf)

 

[michellex3]

Dana,

Thank you for responding so quickly.

We are having my granddaughter, Cierra, tested February 7.

I'm just baffled by all this. The doctor never tested my daughter or her husband when she was pregnant with Cierra. This is all so new and upsetting.

I'm glad I found this site and I'll have to have my daughter signup for it as well.

Michelle

 

[michellex3]

Dana,

Thank you for responding so quickly.

We are having my granddaughter, Cierra, tested February 7.

I'm just baffled by all this. The doctor never tested my daughter or her husband when she was pregnant with Cierra. This is all so new and upsetting.

I'm glad I found this site and I'll have to have my daughter signup for it as well.

Michelle

 

[michellex3]

Dana,

Thank you for responding so quickly.

We are having my granddaughter, Cierra, tested February 7.

I'm just baffled by all this. The doctor never tested my daughter or her husband when she was pregnant with Cierra. This is all so new and upsetting.

I'm glad I found this site and I'll have to have my daughter signup for it as well.

Michelle

 

[DEES4]

My husband and I neither one have a family history on either side of cf. We have four children with one being diagnosed with cf (our youngest). I hope things go well for your family and neither child will have cf.
Carrie

 

[DEES4]

My husband and I neither one have a family history on either side of cf. We have four children with one being diagnosed with cf (our youngest). I hope things go well for your family and neither child will have cf.
Carrie

 

[DEES4]

My husband and I neither one have a family history on either side of cf. We have four children with one being diagnosed with cf (our youngest). I hope things go well for your family and neither child will have cf.
Carrie

 

[Alyssa]

We have no family history on either side of the family either -- you cannot use that as a gauge. Many people out there are carriers, some people get the gene some do not -- it doesn't cause any problems to just be a carrier -- until two carriers create a child.

If it helps to think about it this way: our DNA contains sets of genes - we all have two of everything. The mother gives off one gene, the father gives off one gene, so the child starts off with a full set (two) as well. Since each parent is a carrier, only one of the two genes they have to give off is a CF mutation gene. That means if each parents gives off the gene that is normal, the child will not have any CF genes. If one parent gives off the normal gene and the other parent gives off the CF gene, that child will be a carrier, just like it's parents. If the parents both give off the CF gene, the child will have two CF genes and will have CF.

 

[Alyssa]

We have no family history on either side of the family either -- you cannot use that as a gauge. Many people out there are carriers, some people get the gene some do not -- it doesn't cause any problems to just be a carrier -- until two carriers create a child.

If it helps to think about it this way: our DNA contains sets of genes - we all have two of everything. The mother gives off one gene, the father gives off one gene, so the child starts off with a full set (two) as well. Since each parent is a carrier, only one of the two genes they have to give off is a CF mutation gene. That means if each parents gives off the gene that is normal, the child will not have any CF genes. If one parent gives off the normal gene and the other parent gives off the CF gene, that child will be a carrier, just like it's parents. If the parents both give off the CF gene, the child will have two CF genes and will have CF.

 

[Alyssa]

We have no family history on either side of the family either -- you cannot use that as a gauge. Many people out there are carriers, some people get the gene some do not -- it doesn't cause any problems to just be a carrier -- until two carriers create a child.

If it helps to think about it this way: our DNA contains sets of genes - we all have two of everything. The mother gives off one gene, the father gives off one gene, so the child starts off with a full set (two) as well. Since each parent is a carrier, only one of the two genes they have to give off is a CF mutation gene. That means if each parents gives off the gene that is normal, the child will not have any CF genes. If one parent gives off the normal gene and the other parent gives off the CF gene, that child will be a carrier, just like it's parents. If the parents both give off the CF gene, the child will have two CF genes and will have CF.

 

[madisonsmom]

Michelle,

Hi, I'm new too,have only joined in the last month.

When our 21 year old daughter was born and dx at 4months, there was no history of CF on either side of our families. 1 in 20 white people are carriers so you can see how easy it would be for your daughter and son inlaw to get together.
Another intersting fact is that none of my or my husbands siblings have had any children with CF.

My own theory about the history is that until the last 50-60 years the children born with CF probably died within a few months of birth and it was just excepted that the baby got sick and didn't make it. So I firmly believe that ther must be some history down the line, we just don't know about it.

Hope all turns out well
Kathy

 

[madisonsmom]

Michelle,

Hi, I'm new too,have only joined in the last month.

When our 21 year old daughter was born and dx at 4months, there was no history of CF on either side of our families. 1 in 20 white people are carriers so you can see how easy it would be for your daughter and son inlaw to get together.
Another intersting fact is that none of my or my husbands siblings have had any children with CF.

My own theory about the history is that until the last 50-60 years the children born with CF probably died within a few months of birth and it was just excepted that the baby got sick and didn't make it. So I firmly believe that ther must be some history down the line, we just don't know about it.

Hope all turns out well
Kathy

 

[madisonsmom]

Michelle,

Hi, I'm new too,have only joined in the last month.

When our 21 year old daughter was born and dx at 4months, there was no history of CF on either side of our families. 1 in 20 white people are carriers so you can see how easy it would be for your daughter and son inlaw to get together.
Another intersting fact is that none of my or my husbands siblings have had any children with CF.

My own theory about the history is that until the last 50-60 years the children born with CF probably died within a few months of birth and it was just excepted that the baby got sick and didn't make it. So I firmly believe that ther must be some history down the line, we just don't know about it.

Hope all turns out well
Kathy

 

[Nicole]

Just wanted to add that we have no family history either. My husband and I did not find out we were even carriers until my last preganacy (not because of a routine test, but because our son was showing symptoms on ultrasound).

 

[Nicole]

Just wanted to add that we have no family history either. My husband and I did not find out we were even carriers until my last preganacy (not because of a routine test, but because our son was showing symptoms on ultrasound).