What are the possible health issues for a child who is conceived by Incest?

Question

No, this is not a joke. I am serious. I have searched the internet for hours and I can't really find anywhere to ask this question. My mom was raped by her half-brother, and became pregnant with me. I am in my 20's now, and never knew this until a few days ago. Now I want to know what I could pass on to my own children (I have 2). Everything I read says that it could lead to mental retardation, but I have an IQ in the 140's, and my son was reading and writing at age 4, so obviously that isn't a problem.

If anyone can tell me anything I would appreciate it. Also, if you could point me in the direction of a helpful website that would be great. Thank you!

Answer 1

The problem with incest is if there are bad recessive genes they are more likely to pop up. If there aren't recessive genes for mental retardation, schizophrenia, color blindness, hemophilia or whatever, then there is none to be passed on. The Egyptian and Hawaiian rulers married their sisters and had some excellent offspring. It was only after many generations of inbreeding that problems arose. I would ask about what health issues were in your family, and those are what I would be concerned about. Does your family have a history of diabetes, hypertension, all the things that the doctors have you check off on your family history on the form you complete in the waiting room. If so, you must be sure to exercise and have a life style to keep these problems at bay. By the way, in Europe for generations, people married their first cousins and had children without problems. Also, formerly in the Ozark mountains and currently in some Arab groups, cousins marry cousins for generations. Since he was a half brother, that would be similar to cousin to cousin. I would check out some genetics sites.
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/mole00/mole00076.htm

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/40/1/55

Answer 2

If you remember your genetics from school - you inherit genes from mother and father. Typically "bad" genes are recessive. (dominant bad genes die out quickly) That means, you need both copies to be bad or else you don't have any ill effects. The one good gene produces enough of what your body needs.

The downside of inbreeding is that an apparently healthy person could have one good gene, one bad. The odds that a partner at random has the same defective gene is pretty low; the odds that a parent or sibling does is high. So, if your parents are closely related, you could get 2 bad genes. Any serious damage would have shown up with you, not your children.

If one parent has one of their genes bad, your odds of having that bad gene are 1 in 4. If both your parents have one bad, one good gene (much more likely of they are closely related) your odds of being a carrier are 50% and the odds of 2 defective genes (and a serious condition) are 1 in 4.

For 2 half-siblings, the odds that one of them has one bad gene that the common parent had, is 1 in 4. The odds their offspring would have at least one bad gene, is pretty small.

Genetic defects can be anything from bad vision to club foot, cleft palate, retardation, and more subtle deformities. there's a debate whether diabetes I is a disease or inherited; also Schizophrenia. Anything genetically determined, can be reinforced if you get the same trait from both sides. But, that goes for healthy traits too.

Unless there's a history of something serious and genetic in the common family tree, I wouldn't worry too much.Current thought is that the danger of cousins having common defects is not much worse than strangers; in places like the Middle East, clans intermarry cousins and second cousins all the time with no appreciable bad effects.

Going the other way, intelligence is a combination of several genes (combined with healthy diet during development, etc.) so if the common grandparent had a lot of healthy genes, you have better odds of being good and healthy.

The famous disease in the European royal families, for example, was a defect in the gene that prevented clotting. Men typically got it, because they had no good gene in a second X-chromosome, while women had a good X-chromosome from outside the cursed family tree.

Another example of a genetic disease is Woody Guthrie's disease. It's something that shows up in men, so likely linked to the Y chromosomal defects. Unusually, it's dominant, but doesn't start to show up until about age 50 - so until recently, people didn't know they had it until they had passed it on to their sons.

Answer 3

I wish I knew... but I would make sure to ask a doctor about the risks before I tried to conceive again. Sounds like your son will be fine but have him checked over by a doc during his next yearly physical, and mention it. This sort of thing happens more than you would think.

Answer 4

Blue blood and anemia are possible consequences. Any genetic traits from your mother and her half-brother, both good and bad, would be compounded. European royalty died out because of repeated inbreeding within families.

Answer 5

sorry could help you on these ,