Get Tested for Thalassemia Before Conceiving

Many people (especially African-American) that are planning to have a child know whether they have sickle cell trait or not, but many people do not know about or consider Thalassemia. Thalassemia is a blood disorder that is passed from parent to child, and is not a contagious or sexually transmitted disease. A person of any color or gender can carry Thalassemia trait. There is Beta Thalassemia, and Alpha Thalassemia. Most hospitals or clinics can perform a blood test to screen you for Thalassemia along with Sickle Cell trait.

I was born with sickle cell trait. Although I do not have sickle cell anemia, carrying the trait worried me because if I decided to have children with someone who also carried the trait for sickle cell, our child would probably be born with sickle cell anemia. Before our son was born, I asked my husband about his sickle cell trait status. He knew that he did not have sickle cell trait, and I was confident that our future children would be free of sickle cell anemia.

When our child was born, I thought we were in the clear until we got a letter from the doctor explaining that a blood test detected that our child had a form of Sickle Cell Anemia. I immediately started to worry and think the worst! I had seen a close family member suffer most of his young life in and out of the hospital because of the pain and complications of Sickle Cell Anemia. I did not want our son to have to live a life filled with pain and tears.

We visited the hospital later that week and found out that his condition was a form of sickle cell called Sickle Beta Thalassemia. We had never heard of this condition, and we were baffled as to how it came about. The doctor explained that my husband was born with Thalassemia (trait), and I have Sickle Cell Trait, which produced a child with Sickle Thalassemia. We did not know what to expect, but we were told that some people with certain forms of Sickle Thalassemia had very mild symptoms; however it was a case by case issue.

Our son is now three years old, and has not once had a Sickle Cell crisis (pain associated with Sickle Cell Anemia). We have felt very blessed, and constantly pray that he stays in good health.

I believe that everyone should be tested for sickle cell trait and Thalassemia, because sometimes you never know. Parents do not always disclose information to their children about their genes because sometimes they may not know the problems that may be caused. If you have children that have Thalassemia, Sickle Cell trait, you should always tell and educate them on their genes so that they can make informed decisions when they decide to have children of their own.

For more information about Thalassemia, visit: http: Thalassemia Information