What Happens in Actual Families?
In real life, it’s impossible to predict which genes will be passed on to which children at each conception. This kind of prediction would be the same as trying to predict the outcome of any particular coin toss. Even though the overall odds are 50 percent heads and 50 percent tails, you can get six heads in a row. This pamphlet offers some examples of what could happen in actual situations. The type of diagrams for Duchenne MD, spinal muscular atrophy and myotonic muscular dystrophy is called a family tree or pedigree. Geneticists and genetic counselors may construct a pedigree or tree as you give your family history, or you may see these in books or on Web sites.
