In recent times, there has been widespread awareness about the Sickle Cell Disease and ways to prevent more babies being born with the Sickle Cell Disease.
Discovering that you and your partner share the AS or SS genotype doesn’t mean sacrificing your love. In Africa, genotype compatibility is a significant consideration due to the risk of sickle cell anemia in offspring. While societal norms may discourage such unions, there are viable options for couples with the same genotype to ensure a fulfilling relationship without compromising on their desire for a family.
The most common of these pieces of advice is for carriers of the Sickle gene (AS, SS, SC) not to marry fellow carriers of the Sickle gene. Thus, people with AS, SS and SC genotype are advised to marry only people who have the AA genotype to avoid the possibility of having SS babies.
This is good advice because the financial, emotional, psychological and physical stress that comes with raising a child with Sickle Cell Disease are unquantifiable. Even more so because the child shares in these burdens.
Here are 5 ways an AS + AS couple can get married and still break the Sickle Cycle;
1.In Vitro Fertilization (IVF):
This is done by using the sperm or egg of someone else who isn’t a Sickle carrier. So, the sperm of an AA man or the egg of an AA woman can be used to make the embryo before it is transplanted into the mother.Although it costs less than the PGD, it still costs more than going through the process of natural conception.
2.Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD):
Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis works like In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Unlike with natural conception, this doesn’t involve termination of pregnancy. The couple goes through an IVF cycle; the sperm and egg are fertilized in a petri dish and allowed to grow, then after three to four days, a biopsy of some cells is carried out. Only non-SS babies are then transplanted into the mother. SS embryos are destroyed.
3.Natural Conception:
When the couple conceive naturally, they wait till the pregnancy is about 10 weeks old. Then they take a test to check the genotype of the embryo. This is done by the Chorionic Villous Sampling (from 10 weeks) or Amniocentesis (from 13 weeks). A needle is inserted into the pregnant abdomen to collect the cells needed. The cells are cultured ad a genetic testing is carried out.
If the embryo has the SS genotype, the pregnancy is terminated. If the embryo des not have the SS genotype, it is left to develop to full term.
4.A childless marriage:
While your Nigerian mother may threaten to fall down and die if you don’t provide her with grandchildren, there are some people who do not want to have children of their own. And if two of these people happen to be AS and they happen to get married with the agreement that they will have no children, then they will not continue the Sickle Cycle.
The above options may be frowned upon by a lot of people for moral, religious or cultural reasons, but at the end of the day, they are valid options nonetheless.