What should Sickle Cell Trait couples do now?
Couples with sickle cell trait who want to start a family should be offered counseling so they can make their own informed decisions about whether or not they wish to take a 25% chance in each pregnancy of having a child with sickle cell anemia. For some couples, the desire to have a child by traditional conception, supercedes the risk of having a child with sickle cell anemia. If they decide to take the risk, prenatal diagnosis has been available for quite a few years. How is Prenatal Diagnosis done? Two tests can be offered at different stages of the pregnancy, to determine the sickle status of the developing baby. In chorionic villus testing, a sample is taken from the placenta (the organ which feeds the baby) and analyzed. This test is done at about the 9th week of pregnancy. Amniocentesis is a test performed at about 15 weeks of pregnancy in which a sample of the amniotic fluid (the bag of water) is analyzed. These techniques allow a family the option of terminating or continuing
