*Home>>>Pregnancy>>>Chances of baby having cystic fibrosis?

Question: Does anyone have cystic fibrois? I just found out that I am a carrier of it. And I am pregnant. My husband is getting tested next week to see if he is a carrier of it too. If my baby was to have it what steps in life will i have to take to make sure the child has a comfortbable life. I have read that the average person with cyctic fibrois only lives to be in their 30's. Is that true or just statistics? Any info on this would be greatly appriecated. Answer: My wife and I are both carriers. First off, your husband's chances of being a carrier are roughly 1 in 25 if he is of european descent. I mean if he's 'white' if that's not clear enough, I don't want to be confusing. IF and only IF he is a carrier, then there is a 1-4 chance of your baby having cystic fibrosis. So right now, there's something like a 1% chance of your baby being affected. That will jump to 25% of your husband is a carrier. My cousin died of cystic fibrosis about 5 years ago. She was 21. Life expectancy used to be in the mid-teens for CF affected children, it is increasing. It is _possible_ that by the time our children are in their 30's, the lifespan will have been pushed back much further - but its not for certain. If your baby has CF, you should begin managing the disease _immediately_. Personally I would suggest prenatal testing if your husband is a carrier. While some parents opt to terminate pregnancies if the child is a carrier, even if you won't, I think its best to know before birth, so you can be a little more 'ready'. One impact of CF is that affected children have trouble getting nutrition. (The more obvious impact is a continual build up of fluid in the lungs). My cousin was very petite - likely because of the nutritional issues. Before she died, she received a partial lung transplant from her father and brother, which unfortunately never really took. They now give children with CF some kind of medication to help them with their nutrition. I still belive if she'd been physically larger and stronger - which she might have been with current medicine - she might have been able to take the transplant better. Good luck to you. When my wife and I were pregnant with our first, we had exactly the same experience - I was a carrier, she tested while pregnant and found she was also a carrier, which might for quite a stressful pregnancy. Thankfully, our daughter is only a carrier - like us. I hope it turns out well for your family. Final piece of advice, from my aunt, is that she urged everyone in our family to do 'whatever we had to' to not have a child with CF. We can only imagine what its like, she's lived through it. http://www.cysticfibrosis.com/ www.cysticfibrosis.ca