What is the affect of a man who is thalassemia-free marrying a woman who is a thalassemia-carrier? Will their child be a thalassemia-carrier as well? What are the odds of this happening (in percentage)?
I believe your chances are that 1 out of 4 or 25% of your children will be carriers only. Both parents must pass the defect for a child to be affected by the disease.
Last edited by anajam; 09-07-2011 at 12:23 AM.
Reason: typo
Actually it is a 50% chance that your child will be a carrier. The carrier has one normal gene and one Thalassemia gene, and the child will inherit one or the other. The child will definitely NOT have Thalassemia.
IF two carriers marry, there is a 25% chance the child will inherit the disease.
The Following User Says Thank You to janewhite1 For This Useful Post: anajam (09-08-2011)
Hello Everyone, I have Thalassemia too, as does my mom. I don't know if my dad has it or not. Regardless, would he have to be a carrier for me to have it? Both my parents are from the Mediterranean and I am an only child. Thanks in advance for any answers...janiee
janewhite, Thanks a lot for the info!! My doc said that when you have Thalassemia (minor) you don't feel the fatigue much when you are young, but as you age it becomes more noticable. I surely do feel it now, though I also have Fibro. ...janiee
Thalassemia Carrier 
...janiee
