all 3 of my kids? seriously?

hi everyone!  i have 3 beautiful daughters who are 6, 3, and 1 year old.  i just recently found out that my 1 year old has beta thal. trait just like me AND her 2 sisters!  i was a little taken back by this.  what are the odds that ALL 3 of my kids would have inherited it from me?  my husband recently gave a presentation for a class he was taking (in the marine corps) about thalassemia and found out that it's a 50/50 chance that the kids would have it (because my husband doesn't have it).  he also found out that the chance is cut in half even more with each kid after that!  so the odds that my 3rd child would have it seem very, very slim.  and yet, here we are with the blood results confirming positively.  i'm just a little frustrated with all this.  see, we live on a military base and let's just say the health care here is not top notch.  it's a constant battle with our doctors (which change frequently) to explain thalassemia and why pumping my kids with iron is not always the best option!  my 1 year old's tests confirmed she is not iron deficient (thank God!).  i'm just getting worn out from always struggling with these military drs. who seem to not know anything about thal!  it's 2009, people, let's get our facts straight and treat people accordingly!  ugh!!!!  just wondering if anyone is in the same boat?!  thanks and hope you all have a great weekend  

Dear 4thalgals,

Welcome to the site!!  I wish you and your little thalgals all the best.  My story is the same - my mom is thal trait - and I have two siblings - all three of us (myself and my two brothers) are thal trait.  With each pregnancy there is a 50% chance that the child will be thal trait (like flipping a coin) because we have two beta genes (1 thal & 1 non thal) - and we pass one of the two to each child.  The chances are the same as having a child of the same gender each time (50%).    Just be sure that your girls are aware of their thal trait and that one day when they are ready to get married and have children that their partner is check for thal trait so that they can make informed decisions when necessary.

Once again - Welcome to the site - and all the best to your princesses:)

Sharmin

Welcome 4thalgals,

You are doing right by insisting on having iron studies done before supplementing with iron. Iron deficient anemia can coincide with thal minor, but unless deficiency has been established, it can be harmful to take iron supplements. When doctors see low hemoglobin levels they usually want to respond with iron, but when you know thal minor already exists in a patient, iron should not be given unless iron studies confirm iron deficiency. B-complex and folic acid will do much more for a thal minor than iron will.

omg!  Your girls are beautiful!  You are doing a great job educating yourself about thal and not subjecting your children to iron pills and possible effects of iron overload.  You will learn about other supplements that are good for thal minor children on the site.  We are very happy to answer any questions that you may have.

God bless the little angels,

Sharmin

4thalgals welcome to the site. 

i too agree with you , it is hard to find doctors who really understand thal

manal

Dear 4thalgals,

Welcome on the forum,Your sweeties are really cute,rest be assured that thal minors can lead a full and healthy life with right kinds of supplements and diet.

About doctors,you are not alone,most of thal minors have to suffer at their hands,unless we put our feet down and start taking care of ourselves.Keep visiting,try to read previous posts,you'll learn a lot.

Take care 

Zaini.

  4Thalgals! We are three in the family and all three of us have beta thal. I was diagnosed/ worked up by my pedia when I was three years old and my sister when she was two and my baby brother when he was 6 mos. old. I was given twice the amount of regular dose of iron drops by my other pedia( this was before I was diagnosed and half paralized) that's why I was worked up because I was half paralized at age 3 years old, that's when I was diagnosed I have Beta thal and also my other two siblings.  Keep updating us with your three little angels.

Welcome on board! I like the picture of your daughter; they are cute I can not say more, because my information about this type is zero. I dont have thal but the rare anemia pyruvate kinase deficiency. It's a pretty difficult name but treatment is the same as thal major.

Dore

With each pregnancy there is a 50% chance that the child will be thal trait (like flipping a coin) because we have two beta genes (1 thal & 1 non thal) - and we pass one of the two to each child.  The chances are the same as having a child of the same gender each time (50%).

Not exactly true, at least in some cases not. There are families where for example only boys are born. You know these stories where there was no male child in the royal family - only girls, and such stories.
It's because of the chemical structure of the genes in some families. And the thal trait in your children is because of the chemical structure of the genes - your (and your husband) - seems like your beta thal trait gene wins every time in "chemical battle" between genes during conception (this crossover reaction or something like that - I don't remember now).
So many years from now, when there is complete gene scan available for every human, it will be possible to assess the probability much better, because it will be possible to asses chemical compatibility or incompatibility of father's and mother's genes.
For now our assesing is based on incomplete data, where we assume that every gene combination is equally likely - and it is not.

Regards,
B.