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Suggest Ways To Minimize Risks Of Conceiving An Autistic Child
Question: Hello,
My brother was born with Autism spectrum Disorder and extremely mild down syndrome (only visible in his eyes, if at all). He is the only person in my entire family, both my Mother and Father's sides to have this.
I was wondering, how likely would it be that when i have a child that it will be autistic? I am the younger sibling out of my brother and i, and i was born with no autism or any other conditon of the sort.
I am a perfectly healthy 25 year old, i dont smoke, i dont drink a lot and am very fit and healthy. My boyfriend and i have been discussing the future and we would love to have children but i am worried that because my Mother had an autistic son, that i will have an autistic baby, and regardless of how much id love the child no matter what, id like to be informed in what precautions i can take to minimise my chances?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
My brother was born with Autism spectrum Disorder and extremely mild down syndrome (only visible in his eyes, if at all). He is the only person in my entire family, both my Mother and Father's sides to have this.
I was wondering, how likely would it be that when i have a child that it will be autistic? I am the younger sibling out of my brother and i, and i was born with no autism or any other conditon of the sort.
I am a perfectly healthy 25 year old, i dont smoke, i dont drink a lot and am very fit and healthy. My boyfriend and i have been discussing the future and we would love to have children but i am worried that because my Mother had an autistic son, that i will have an autistic baby, and regardless of how much id love the child no matter what, id like to be informed in what precautions i can take to minimise my chances?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Brief Answer:
The risk of Autims in your future child will be almost nil.
Detailed Answer:
Hello thanks for asking from HCM for your health related queries
I can understand your concern. First of all I'd like to tell you that Autism Spectrum disorders don't spread by transmission of single gene, in fact many factors contribute simultaneously to result in Autism. Autism has multifactorial inheritance.
In various genetic studies on children of parents of autism or in siblings with Autism it has been found that if one has Autism then risk of Autism in sibling is about 2-8%.
You are perfectly healthy has no habit of smoking, drinking and your sibling has mild Downs only. In my opinion there is no significant risk of Autism to your child. There is no history of Autism in family also. Still to remain on safer side I'd advise you to-
- Plan pregnancy well in advance. Start taking folic acid tablets (2 tabs per day) before pregnancy and continue to take during pregnancy.
- Visit your obstetrics doctor regularly during pregnancy. Get USG done regularly.
- Avoid any other during first trimester in pregnancy. Consult your doctor before starting any medicines during pregnancy.
These simple measures will prevent any risk of Autism in your child. Remain assured that risk of Autism in your child is almost same as risk in normal population. So no need to worry.
Thanks, Hope this helps you. Please don't hesitate to ask again for more doubts.
The risk of Autims in your future child will be almost nil.
Detailed Answer:
Hello thanks for asking from HCM for your health related queries
I can understand your concern. First of all I'd like to tell you that Autism Spectrum disorders don't spread by transmission of single gene, in fact many factors contribute simultaneously to result in Autism. Autism has multifactorial inheritance.
In various genetic studies on children of parents of autism or in siblings with Autism it has been found that if one has Autism then risk of Autism in sibling is about 2-8%.
You are perfectly healthy has no habit of smoking, drinking and your sibling has mild Downs only. In my opinion there is no significant risk of Autism to your child. There is no history of Autism in family also. Still to remain on safer side I'd advise you to-
- Plan pregnancy well in advance. Start taking folic acid tablets (2 tabs per day) before pregnancy and continue to take during pregnancy.
- Visit your obstetrics doctor regularly during pregnancy. Get USG done regularly.
- Avoid any other during first trimester in pregnancy. Consult your doctor before starting any medicines during pregnancy.
These simple measures will prevent any risk of Autism in your child. Remain assured that risk of Autism in your child is almost same as risk in normal population. So no need to worry.
Thanks, Hope this helps you. Please don't hesitate to ask again for more doubts.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Shanthi.E
Answered by
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