You know a relationship is starting to get serious when you start imaging what your kids would be like.
But for some couples these dreams of a future together can be interupted by a rude awakening.
It's called genotype compatibility.
It's the awkward elephant in the room that kills the mood.
Two people fall in love and discover they both carry sickle cell genes...
Suddenly the romance is interrupted by statistics:
-1 in 4 chance for 2 sickle cell trait carriers. (AS and AS)
-1 in 2 chance for someone with sickle cell and someone with the trait. (SS and AS)
That's the chance in every pregnancy of having a child with sickle cell disease.
It's a pretty heavy conversation for any relationship.
Some people even avoid testing because they're afraid of what they might find.
Others test and feel trapped, as if they now have to choose between love and the family they hoped for.
But there is another option that many people still don’t fully understand.
It’s called pre-implantation genetic testing, or PGT, done alongside IVF.
Here’s what that actually means in simple terms.
IVF involves collecting eggs from the woman and fertilising them with sperm in a laboratory.
When the embryos are just a few days old, a tiny sample of cells can be taken from each one and tested for specific genetic conditions, such as sickle cell disease.
The key point is this:
Only embryos that do not have sickle cell disease are selected and transferred into the womb.
This means an at risk couple can guarantee having a child who does not have the disease.
It doesn't "fix" an embryo.
It selects from what already exists.
Now, let’s be honest.
IVF with genetic testing is not equally accessible everywhere. It can be expensive. Funding rules vary. Access differs between countries and even between regions.
But it's a real option.
And it is important that people know that.
It may be difficult and it may feel scary, but those hardships are temporary.
Raising a child with sickle cell requires a life time of resilience, advocacy, hospital visits, medication, and constant vigilance.
Some parents embrace that journey wholeheartedly.
Others would choose differently if they knew they could.
So pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT) with IVF is definitely an option worth exploring.
You can't choose who you fall in love with.
But if you're both willing to tackle that elephant in the room head on, then you can choose how you create a family with them.
Stay Healthy,
Lewis
