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Children of an Albino
Name: Abbodie
Status: Student
Age: 20s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: September 2002
Question:
I want to marry an albino girl. Is there an effect to
the children in the future?
Replies:
You and your girlfriend should go together to genetic counseling, and ask
your question to a genetic counselor. To learn more about genetic
counseling, visit the web page of the National Society of Genetic Counselors
at www.nsgc.org, and click on Genetic Counseling and You. To find and
contact a genetic counselor near you, click on ResourceLinks. The following
information is included among the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on this
web site:
"Q: This is my first visit to a genetic counselor. What can I expect from
this visit?
"A: Genetic counselors frequently speak to clients about complex scientific
and emotional topics. Usually the issues involve genetic conditions or birth
defects or possibilities of those things occurring. The topic you bring to
the genetic counseling session may determine the content of the discussion.
You can expect the genetic counselor to have specialized knowledge and be
able to answer your questions, maybe even to anticipate some of your
questions. Often, the genetic counselor acts as an interpreter for the
medical information and a support person if the information turns out to be
stressful. Your genetic counselor may ask extensive questions about your
family history, as this is the way we understand inheritance patterns. It
might be helpful for you to use the opportunity of a pending genetic
counseling visit to research the health and medical conditions of extended
relatives."
I am confident you will appreciate the process of genetic counseling and the
information you will learn there. You can expect the genetic counseling
session to include detailed questions about any consanguinity
(intermarriages between relatives) on each side of the family, and any
marriages between your side of the family and her side of the family.
Yours sincerely,
Sarina Kopinsky, MSc, CGC
It depends on the kind of albinism she has. Also, you need to know if you
are a carrier. The most common form of albinism is a recessive disorder.
This means that your child(ren) would have to inherit the gene from both of
you. She has two copies of it-that's why she is albino. You do not have it,
so you either have 2 non-affected genes or you could be carrying one affected
gene. Even if you are a carrier there is a 25% chance that any child you
have would be affected.
vanhoeck
Dear Abbodie:
Please see the section entitled, "Genetics of Albinism" on the following
web site from The National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation
(NOAH):
http://www.albinism.org/publications/what_is_albinism.html
If you are interested, a wealth of other info. on albinism in general is
also included in this helpful WWW resource, as referenced in previous
answer to "Albino Gene" inquiry, as well (
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/mole00/mole00300.htm ).
I hope that this is useful for you,
Jeff Buzby, Ph.D.
Children's Hospital of Orange County
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Update: June 2012
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