Hi Crystal and welcome to the group
Alpha thal trait carriers have two of the four alpha globin genes affected. If both you and your husband are alpha trait, then there is a real danger of having a child with 3 or 4 affected genes, and as Narendra has said, if all 4 genes are affected, the child will not survive past birth because its body will produce no usable hemoglobin. This is what is also referred to as alpha major. Three gene alpha can lead to a condition similar to beta thal intermedia, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe (hemoglobin H disease). there is a good explanation of alpha thal at the Northern Comprehensive Thalassemia Center site, at
http://www.thalassemia.com/alpha_thal.htmlNarendra has brought up an important issue that deserves the emphasis he gave it. Couples must become educated to the facts about thalassemia. If you know you have the gene or are even from an ethnic group where you may be a carrier, it is mandatory as a responsible adult, that you be tested and have your spouse tested also, before making a decision to have children. Thalassemia is far more wide spread than people realize and the alpha thal genes are even more common than the beta genes. With current emigration patterns, thalassemia is quickly becoming a major issue for countries that previously saw few cases, such as the US. This disturbing trend may have a bright side though if it means people in the developed west become aware of the huge problem confronting people throughout the world. As it becomes a problem in the west, it is certain more effort will be put into research to treat and even cure thal. Narendra and I have a very important thing in common. We both strive in our daily life to take advantage of any situation where we can educate someone about thal. None of us should say the problem is too huge. We should each do our part to educate and spread awareness about thalassemia.
Crystal, if you and your husband both carry two genes, you may want to consider in vitro fertilization to ensure you do not take the chance of having an alpha major. Unlike with beta thal, a major will not survive. I would also suggest that you both undergo thorough testing to make sure neither of you are also beta thal carriers, as the combination of alpha and beta is slowly becoming better understood, and it can create symptoms ranging from minor to intermedia.
Regardless of whether a couple decides to take a chance and have a child knowing that they are carriers, they do need to educate themselves to the facts so they can make a proper decision based on what they know they can do in terms of caring for a child, and what type of life they can give their child.
When we started out, Danielle and I discussed whether or not to add an alpha thal category, as it seemed we didn't hear much about it, and because it often fits into the intermedia category. However, this and some other recent posts are making me re-visit this idea. While we don't wish to become cluttered with too many categories, I am wondering if the members feel we should start a separate category for alpha thal. Let us know what you think.