Do I need genetic counseling for hemophilia before marriage?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 30-year-old woman, and I am getting married soon. One of my fiance’s relatives has hemophilia, and I am concerned about how this might affect our future children. I have heard that hemophilia can be genetic, so I am wondering if we should consider genetic counseling or any preventive measures before starting a family. How can we determine if there is a risk? And if there is, what steps can we take to manage it? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern about hemophilia.

Hemophilia is an X-linked recessive disorder. Females have two X chromosomes (XX), which means that for a female to have hemophilia, she must inherit two defective genes, one from each parent. If she inherits only one defective gene, she will be a carrier but will not have hemophilia herself. Males have one X and one Y chromosome (XY). For a male to have hemophilia, his single X chromosome must be defective. Therefore, if your fiance does not have hemophilia, it means his X chromosome is not defective, and he cannot pass hemophilia to his children, regardless of the hemophilia status of his relatives.

So, what matters in your case is whether your fiance is free of hemophilia. If he is, you have nothing to worry about.

I hope this information helps you.

Thanks for using iCliniq and have a nice day.