healthy carrier

Question

Hello,
I am a healthy carrier of delta F508, and I wanted to know if there was no risk of having a child with cystic fibrosis knowing that my husband does not carry the gene!

waiting for a response
Cordially.

Answer

Hello,
Please look at this question / answer:
Healthy carrier and desire for children
ecorn-cf.eu/index.php?id=65&L=0&tx_expertadvice_pi1[showitem]=1539&tx_expertadvice_pi1[search]=

The case is reversed, it is the husband who is a healthy carrier.
You state in your question that it is known your husband does not carry a CF mutation. So we assume that he had a genetic investigation for a panel of the most frequent CF mutations done and no mutation was found via this test. In this case, the risk for you as a couple to have a child with CF is very very small, near to zero but not exactly zero, as there is the very small possibility that in your husband, a rare mutation has not been detected. If we assume that he indeed does not carry a mutation in the "CF-gene", all your children will be healthy, but for each child the chance will be 50% that it will inherit one CF-mutation from you and also be a carrier of the CF-mutation. This has no consequences for the health of the child (as in your case, too), but later for the family planning of the child.

Sincerely,
Dr Sophie Ravilly

05.12.2011