Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can still ask your OB about it, and ask for a meeting with a genetic counselor to find out percentages and possibilities. DH doesn't get to be offended when he's been keeping family health history a secret. At the appointment you can also ask about whatever family stuff is on your side, and what to expect with such old sperm in the mix.

But she’s already pregnant. And more knowledge may be helpful for anxiety but maybe not and it’s definitely not useful once you’re already pregnant with no plans to terminate. The time for genetic counseling is before you’re pregnant.

Totally disagree. We found out that we were at higher risk for a genetic condition during testing. We did not terminate, but learning about the condition before DC was born really helped me prepare. As it turns out, DC did not have it, but we didn't know that going in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think your distress now won't help the baby. Do everything you can to be stress free right now!

exactly this! stress hormones go thru the placenta and can mess with the baby. lots of research on this

AND, don't get the flu when pregnant (google this; after the Spanish Flu, adults who were in utero then, whose moms got the flu, had a higher chance of getting it)
AND, get rid of the cat (toxoplasmosis is connected to this and also other mental health disorders like depression)

Not all cats have Toxo you can get them tested. And you are more likely to get it from meat or soil than cats- unless you eat from the litter box often?? Better advice is not to eat rare burgers and wash your hands after gardening.

I'm a veterinarian and I've had cats all my life. The OBs always freaked out about the cat thing but I'm NEGATIVE for Toxo. I just don't eat cat crap. It's pretty simple.

Raise your child in an environment that is encouraging of honesty about feelings, don’t brush off warning signs, have a family culture of medical compliance (I.e let your child see you take your vitamins at the same time Every Day). In other words what you would probably do to support your child’s mental health anyway.

Anonymous wrote:Make sure your child understands that due to her genetics, it’s ESPECIALLY important that she never uses marijuana as a teen or early twentysomething.

Lots of studies on the link, but here’s just one: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/teens-who-smoke-pot-at-risk-for-later-schizophrenia-psychosis-201103071676

I’m so sorry your husband kept his family’s medical history from you. I would feel that my trust were shattered—either in his honesty, or in his intelligence (if he really didn’t think you would want to know).

+1 about marijuana use is adolescence. There are also some studies looking at other ways to reduce risk in kids who have a high genetic risk-certain antioxidants, for example. The great likelihood is that your child will not have it but I would be worried if I were you also because it can be such a heartbreaking illness. As your child gets older I would consider meeting with a psychiatrist practicing in an academic setting yourself to talk about the latest in research for high risk kids and signs to watch out for in adolescence. (This is important because early intervention in the prodromal stage of schizophrenia does seem to lead to significantly better outcomes. Parents sometimes mistake the signs and symptoms for teenage angst.) good luck to you and congratulations on the baby!

Make sure your child understands that due to her genetics, it’s ESPECIALLY important that she never uses marijuana as a teen or early twentysomething.

Lots of studies on the link, but here’s just one: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/teens-who-smoke-pot-at-risk-for-later-schizophrenia-psychosis-201103071676

I’m so sorry your husband kept his family’s medical history from you. I would feel that my trust were shattered—either in his honesty, or in his intelligence (if he really didn’t think you would want to know).

neuroscience news has a section with the latest updates on schizophrenia.

Here is one of today's articles
https://neurosciencenews.com/ai-epigenetics-schizophrenia-blood-19047/

Summary: Blood tests revealed specific epigenetic biomarkers for schizophrenia. Researchers applied machine learning to analyze the CoRSIVs region of the human genome to identify the schizophrenia biomarkers. Testing the model with an independent data set revealed the AI technology can detect schizophrenia with 80% accuracy.

Anonymous wrote:What on earth are these responses. Are you people all wildly uneducated? First of all. You don’t do some kind of genetic test for schizophrenia. Or most mental health disorders. You are simply quite dim if you think you have tested for those. Second. The chances are rare even for those for whom it is high. Telling OP she should terminate is insane.

+1 There is no genetic testing for psychiatric disorders. And there’s no guarantees that any of us will have perfect kids, family history or not. Just relax OP and know the chances of these disorders manifesting themselves is slim. Like one of the posters said earlier, you can get educated about the signs and times the disease is likely to manifest. But beyond that you should enjoy your baby.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just wanted to sympathize. I had an aunt who was schizophrenic and I do worry about my children. I’m not sure that it’s something they can genetically test for so I don’t think there’s much you can do. just hope for the best I know what signs to look out for at what ages.

+1 my uncle has it and I take the same approach. I come from a large family and he is the only one in his generation who has it. The next 2 generations, no one has it. The youngest generation is 6-20 years old.

This is so interesting to me because I’ve just realized I don’t worry about this.

My uncle doesn’t have an official diagnosis, but he is very mentally ill and probably has some sort of schizoid personality. I always heard he did a ton of drugs in his youth and that triggered it. No one else in the family is mentally ill, except for things like mild depression or anxiety.

Anonymous wrote:I think your distress now won't help the baby. Do everything you can to be stress free right now!

exactly this! stress hormones go thru the placenta and can mess with the baby. lots of research on this

AND, don't get the flu when pregnant (google this; after the Spanish Flu, adults who were in utero then, whose moms got the flu, had a higher chance of getting it)
AND, get rid of the cat (toxoplasmosis is connected to this and also other mental health disorders like depression)

What on earth are these responses. Are you people all wildly uneducated? First of all. You don’t do some kind of genetic test for schizophrenia. Or most mental health disorders. You are simply quite dim if you think you have tested for those. Second. The chances are rare even for those for whom it is high. Telling OP she should terminate is insane.

DH’s mother is schizophrenic and I obviously knew about it before we had our daughter. We spoke to a number of doctors and we mitigated her chances as much as possible (conceived to give birth in August as there’s a theory about sunlight on the belly being good; eating foods rich in choline; staying away from all alcohol when pregnant and nursing).

We always have kept a calm, secure home. We keep a close eye on her stress (she’s 16 now). But yes, of course we will be thinking about it until she’s 35!

Do your research, OP, and try anything that isn’t harmful or controversial. And bare your belly outside as much as possible before summer ends! Even if it does nothing to stem schizophrenia, it’s good for you and baby.

Depends on how far along you are and how old.

Anonymous wrote:I saw online, gave no citation, chances of having it is 3-4% if a child's aunt, uncle, or grandparent has it. 13% if a parent has it.

What about sibling? Because this baby will have an aunt and sibling with it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can still ask your OB about it, and ask for a meeting with a genetic counselor to find out percentages and possibilities. DH doesn't get to be offended when he's been keeping family health history a secret. At the appointment you can also ask about whatever family stuff is on your side, and what to expect with such old sperm in the mix.

How do you know his sperm is old? He could be 35 and had his 20-year-old daughter at 15. Or he could be 42 and had her at 22.

I'm sure you're right and he had his daughter from a previous marriage at 15. Good guess.

Fair enough - although the legal age of consent for marriage in North Carolina is 14.

https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-marriage-6babc1a99d6861e1b7221a279eb60468

OP it's more concerning that he didn't tell you about his sister till now. And that you don't feel comfortable discussing a medical issue with a doctor while he is present. Couples counseling might be good before baby comes. Parenting together is a whole other ballgame.