Anonymous
01/28/2026 08:05
Subject: Husband has Sickle Cell gene and didn't tell me
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the problem. You found out from him early. You're still early in the pregnancy. Terminate and move on.
Folks say stuff like this as if terminating is just so mentally, emotionally, and physically easy. She probably doesn’t want to terminate now that she’s already pregnant. She probably wanted to avoid conceiving a child with that gene in the first place.
The real answer is to divorce his sorry ***. There will continue to be a pattern of deception if she doesn’t.
It's not that you are wrong, but I don't think deceptive would really capture it all. He sounds avoidant. Like, if it's hard -- and I mean emotionally hard -- he doesn't face it. He just turns away, drags his feet, denies, and at the end, probably either lands on "it's not a problem" or "I couldn't change it anyway."
That's a whole different level of problem. He probably doesn't ever acknowledge it, but he's putting more effort than he admits (even to himself) in avoiding pain. That's a defense mechanism.
Anonymous
01/28/2026 05:43
Subject: Husband has Sickle Cell gene and didn't tell me
Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the problem. You found out from him early. You're still early in the pregnancy. Terminate and move on.
Folks say stuff like this as if terminating is just so mentally, emotionally, and physically easy. She probably doesn’t want to terminate now that she’s already pregnant. She probably wanted to avoid conceiving a child with that gene in the first place.
The real answer is to divorce his sorry ***. There will continue to be a pattern of deception if she doesn’t.
Anonymous
01/28/2026 02:19
Subject: Husband has Sickle Cell gene and didn't tell me
I don't understand the problem. You found out from him early. You're still early in the pregnancy. Terminate and move on.
Anonymous
01/28/2026 01:59
Subject: Husband has Sickle Cell gene and didn't tell me
Anonymous wrote:^ It will not let me quote you for some reason, but read the third link again. The third link did study the accuracy of peripheral blood smears on those with sickle cell disease (not just sickle cell trait). Peripheral blood smears were found to have diagnosed all cases of sickle cell disease accurately with 100% sensitivity and specificity.
https://www.rmj.org.pk/fulltext/27-1594051429.pdf
Because they were using special staining and then -- most importantly -- electrophoresis. That is not the same thing as just looking at morphology of cells; rather, that is specific for assessing the actual type of hemoglobin within the cell. You see the difference?
In the methodology:
Questionnaires were filled after interview and after all aseptic measures, 2 ml intravenous blood was collected in Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acetic Acid anticoagulated tubes (Purple Top). The samples were shifted to Dow Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan Institute of Blood diseases (DDRRL) maintaining the cold chain and peripheral smears were prepared and stained using Leishman stain. Genio-S interlab (Italy) was utilized for hemoglobin electrophoresis at pH of 8.6 using cellulose acetate as a medium.
That's the only way you make it to 100% sensitivity, but that was not what we were discussing, I mean, it's great, but it's just not true that you will always find sickle cells in every sample from someone with SCA, much less SCT. However, you can do additional more complicated (and more expensive, more time-consuming) tests to do that -- but then we are back to not being able to rely on a simple peripheral smear viewed under a microscope. Because that isn't enough.
This is the electrophoresis process:
Test Details
What Is Hemoglobin Electrophoresis?
Hemoglobin electrophoresis is a test to check hemoglobin protein in your red blood cells. Hemoglobin is a protein in your red blood cells that helps cells carry oxygen throughout your body. A provider may do this test to diagnose blood disorders. It’s also one of several screening tests for newborns.
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Hemoglobin types
There are five hemoglobin types:
Type A (HgbA): Hemoglobin A accounts for most of the hemoglobin in your normal red blood cells.
Type A2 (HgbA2): This type accounts for about 2% to 3 % of your total hemoglobin.
Type F (HgbF): High levels are normal in fetuses, babies and children up to 3 years old. High type F levels in older children and adults may be signs of blood disorders or other health issues.
Type S (HgbS): This type is a sign of sickle cell anemia.
Type C (HgbC): This type C is a sign of hemolytic anemia.
Test Details
How does the test work?
A venous blood draw is the most common way providers get blood samples for analysis. Other procedures are:
Finger stick: Your healthcare provider pricks your fingertip to get a tiny sample of your blood. Your child’s healthcare provider may use a finger stick test to get a blood sample.
Heel stick: A provider gets a few drops of blood by pricking your baby’s heel with a needle. They do this test to check for sickle cell anemia.
You don’t need to prepare for this blood test.
What are the steps in hemoglobin electrophoresis?
This test uses electricity to separate hemoglobin types. That process involves the following steps:
1. A technician places dissolved red blood cells on a cellulose strip.
2. They put the strip into a machine that passes electricity through the red blood cells.
3. The hemoglobin types react to the current by separating into separate bands.
4. The technicians compare the test results with normal hemoglobin.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/22420-hemoglobin-electrophoresis
Anonymous
01/28/2026 00:49
Subject: Husband has Sickle Cell gene and didn't tell me
^ It will not let me quote you for some reason, but read the third link again. The third link did study the accuracy of peripheral blood smears on those with sickle cell disease (not just sickle cell trait). Peripheral blood smears were found to have diagnosed all cases of sickle cell disease accurately with 100% sensitivity and specificity.
https://www.rmj.org.pk/fulltext/27-1594051429.pdf
https://www.rmj.org.pk/fulltext/27-1594051429.pdf
Anonymous
01/27/2026 19:43
Subject: Re:Husband has Sickle Cell gene and didn't tell me
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Shocked by these responses.
This is a serious big deal. Just like it would be to hide infertility. This might not be a big deal for some but is for OP so one should be dismissing her concerns.
No, it’s not even close to hiding infertility. It should have been mentioned to make sure that the partner is not a carrier as well, but being a carrier doesn’t affect quality of life. SCD develops when inherited from both parents.
According to a previous poster, this is incorrect. See quote below.
"It's a widespread myth that sickle cell trait is always asymptomatic. Sickle cell trait is an intermediate phenotype, not a true asymptomatic carrier state. A proportion of individuals with SCT WILL have pain crises and other symptoms. Think of the trait as a less severe version of the disease. OP, I can't decide for you if you're in the right to be angry. I can only provide you with scientific facts."
This is true. Having the trait means that we inherited a normal allele from one of our parents and an abnormal (sickle cell) allele from the other parent. We have both normal (round) and abnormal (sickle-shaped) red blood cells in our bodies. If you look at our blood under a microscope, you will see both shapes of red blood cells present. The abnormally shaped red blood cells that are present can cause health issues for us. The trait is just considered less problematic than the disease because we do have some normal (round) red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have NO normal red blood cells. All of their red blood cells are sickle shaped.
No. That is not how it works. The variant hemoglobin cells LOOK normal under the microscope UNLESS they are "sickled" -- it's not a default shape. They undergo "sickling" and change shape, which is what causes the crises in those that have them. Otherwise the blood flows normally. If they were always in sickled shape, people with SCA would always be in crisis.
Sickle hemoglobin is not like normal hemoglobin. Under low oxygen conditions, hemoglobin S transforms into stiff strands within red blood cells. These stiff strands change the shape of the cell, causing the “sickled,” or crescent-shaped, red blood cell that gives the disease its name. Sickled red blood cells are not flexible and can stick to vessel walls, which can block or slow blood flow.
NIH webpage
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sickle-cell-disease/
The red blood cells aren’t always sickled (as they have to undergo sickling), but there are always SOME sickled red blood cells that are present in the bodies of those with sickle cell disease at any given moment. If you looked at their blood under a microscope, you would always see SOME amount of sickled red blood cells (whether they’re in a crisis or not). The number of sickled red blood cells present in the body INCREASES under certain conditions (like low levels of oxygen in the body). A sickle cell crisis happens when those sickled red blood cells clump together. Those sickled red blood cells build up and become stuck in blood vessels as they’re attempting to travel throughout the body (as normal red blood cells do). This happening is what sets off a crisis.
“The sickle-shaped cells become more numerous when people have infections or low levels of oxygen in the blood.” - https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/blood-disorders/anemia/sickle-cell-disease
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Shocked by these responses.
This is a serious big deal. Just like it would be to hide infertility. This might not be a big deal for some but is for OP so one should be dismissing her concerns.
No, it’s not even close to hiding infertility. It should have been mentioned to make sure that the partner is not a carrier as well, but being a carrier doesn’t affect quality of life. SCD develops when inherited from both parents.
According to a previous poster, this is incorrect. See quote below.
"It's a widespread myth that sickle cell trait is always asymptomatic. Sickle cell trait is an intermediate phenotype, not a true asymptomatic carrier state. A proportion of individuals with SCT WILL have pain crises and other symptoms. Think of the trait as a less severe version of the disease. OP, I can't decide for you if you're in the right to be angry. I can only provide you with scientific facts."
This is true. Having the trait means that we inherited a normal allele from one of our parents and an abnormal (sickle cell) allele from the other parent. We have both normal (round) and abnormal (sickle-shaped) red blood cells in our bodies. If you look at our blood under a microscope, you will see both shapes of red blood cells present. The abnormally shaped red blood cells that are present can cause health issues for us. The trait is just considered less problematic than the disease because we do have some normal (round) red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have NO normal red blood cells. All of their red blood cells are sickle shaped.
No. That is not how it works. The variant hemoglobin cells LOOK normal under the microscope UNLESS they are "sickled" -- it's not a default shape. They undergo "sickling" and change shape, which is what causes the crises in those that have them. Otherwise the blood flows normally. If they were always in sickled shape, people with SCA would always be in crisis.
Sickle hemoglobin is not like normal hemoglobin. Under low oxygen conditions, hemoglobin S transforms into stiff strands within red blood cells. These stiff strands change the shape of the cell, causing the “sickled,” or crescent-shaped, red blood cell that gives the disease its name. Sickled red blood cells are not flexible and can stick to vessel walls, which can block or slow blood flow.
NIH webpage
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sickle-cell-disease/
The red blood cells aren’t always sickled (as they have to undergo sickling), but there are always SOME sickled red blood cells that are present in the bodies of those with sickle cell disease at any given moment. If you looked at their blood under a microscope, you would always see SOME amount of sickled red blood cells (whether they’re in a crisis or not). The number of sickled red blood cells present in the body INCREASES under certain conditions (like low levels of oxygen in the body). A sickle cell crisis happens when those sickled red blood cells clump together. Those sickled red blood cells build up and become stuck in blood vessels as they’re attempting to travel throughout the body (as normal red blood cells do). This happening is what sets off a crisis.
“The sickle-shaped cells become more numerous when people have infections or low levels of oxygen in the blood.” - https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/blood-disorders/anemia/sickle-cell-disease
Yep. Medical examiners see some sickled RBC present in specimens taken from every person with sickle cell trait and sickle cell disease. This is one of the ways that they’re able to determine that someone had SCT or SCD (even if it didn’t contribute to the person’s death). You don’t need to be in a crisis or to have ever experienced a crisis (in the case of those with SCT) for sickled RBC to be present.
My apologies, but just to clarify -- are both of you claiming that you can rely on a peripheral blood smear to rule out sickle cell anemia and/or sickle cell trait, because there will always be visible sickle cells? Is that what you each are saying?
I’m not sure about the other poster, but that’s what I’m saying. I will never claim that any diagnostic test is 100% accurate, but I will say that peripheral blood smears are highly accurate at detecting sickle cell in the vast majority of people. (Infants are the exception to the rule.)
https://imagebank.hematology.org/image/3958/sickle-cell-disease-ndash-rbc-morphology--1
https://academic.oup.com/labmed/article-abstract/31/8/445/2657125
https://www.rmj.org.pk/fulltext/27-1594051429.pdf
To recap:
If you looked at their blood under a microscope, you would always see SOME amount of sickled red blood cells
Yep. Medical examiners see some sickled RBC present in specimens taken from every person with sickle cell trait and sickle cell disease.
These are both incorrect statements. There have been a few studies on whether a peripheral blood smear is completely reliable to rule out sickle cell disease. It isn't. It's good, but you cannot use it as a quick 30 second screen for all blood donations, which is where this all started. Your own links show this.
You linked two studies on peripheral blood smears (PBS) of individuals with Sickle Cell Trait (SCT), and none on those with Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA). You have stated that the PBS of people with SCT and SCD always show sickled cells, but that was not what was being tested, and moreover, that is not what was found, even just looking for abnormal non-sickled cells.
https://academic.oup.com/labmed/article-abstract/31/8/445/2657125
This study was not looking for "sickled cells" (a.k.a. drepanocytes), but just abnormally shaped cells that were NOT sickled -- and it found that they were completely absent from 4% of the peripheral smears of people with SCT. They note that "True drepanocytes are not normally present in the PBS of patients with a HbS of less than 50%," and that "The morphologic features of aRBCs in SCT are those of an elongated RBC with tapering of opposite ends. These aRBCs are not to be confused with true drepanocytes ..." They are similar, but they are not the same, and there are more difficulties in distinguishing between them. In addition, they were found in 4% of people who did not have SCT (or SCD).
https://www.rmj.org.pk/fulltext/27-1594051429.pdf
According to your link, a peripheral smear is a (and I quote) "not very sensitive tool for Sickle trait screening," which means a relative high rate of false negatives. They also note that "true Sickle cells are rarely seen in Sickle cell trait, on peripheral smear..."
The study I would add is one that I will have to find the reference for. I believe it was looking at PBS of patients with SCA, and it found that 12 out of 102 (so, a little over 10%) did not show sickled cells.
It matters because this discussion is in the context of why blood donation programs aren't just checking every sample. They can't. Yes, a peripheral blood smear is cheap, and it can be helpful, but 4-10% miss rate is not good enough.
Anonymous
01/27/2026 16:10
Subject: Husband has Sickle Cell gene and didn't tell me
We all have something in our genes. Be thankful he does not have a history of bipolar or schizophrenia which runs in my family.
Anonymous
01/27/2026 16:06
Subject: Husband has Sickle Cell gene and didn't tell me
Anonymous wrote:The onus is on the person who is aware of their carrier status to bring it up when entering into a serious relationship. Most people who are aware of their carrier status are told this by their parents from a young age.
How do I know this? I'm a carrier of Tay-Sachs. My mom practically pounded it into my head.
ahhh yes- you should tell that cute guy who asked to grab a cup a coffee about all your diseases and genetic traits while you are in line at Baked and Wired.
or you know what- you should talk about it when you are so deep in love with someone that being apart feels like pain- then you should bring up all of your genetic heritage and decide, you know what I will just suffer this pain. you people are just walking advertisements for desi aunties to tell their kids that dating is bad and arranged marriages are the way to go.
Anonymous
01/27/2026 16:00
Subject: Husband has Sickle Cell gene and didn't tell me
Anonymous wrote:I get it. DH has a blood disorder which he said won’t impact my kids since I wasn’t a carrier. Now the kid needs minor surgery and has to see a hemonc to make sure everything is ok. I was also angry.
wow! are you saying that you wouldn't have dated, fallen in love with and married your husband b/c he has a genetic blood disorder???
im from a culture that does arranged marriages so this is normal to us- ppl screen for thalassemia, height, skin color, obesity, poor eye sight, wealth, education, ugly noses etc but how would this work in a western dating for marriage set up???
I mean I adore my spouse and we are both from similar ethnic and family backgrounds but we did genetic testing when I was pregnant, I would still have married him. if after mulstile tries, we didn't have healthy baby together we could adopt but our kids are fine despite carrying some recessive genes that run in our culture. I dont understand- do ppl in the west not marry for love anymore??
Anonymous
01/27/2026 16:00
Subject: Re:Husband has Sickle Cell gene and didn't tell me
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Shocked by these responses.
This is a serious big deal. Just like it would be to hide infertility. This might not be a big deal for some but is for OP so one should be dismissing her concerns.
No, it’s not even close to hiding infertility. It should have been mentioned to make sure that the partner is not a carrier as well, but being a carrier doesn’t affect quality of life. SCD develops when inherited from both parents.
According to a previous poster, this is incorrect. See quote below.
"It's a widespread myth that sickle cell trait is always asymptomatic. Sickle cell trait is an intermediate phenotype, not a true asymptomatic carrier state. A proportion of individuals with SCT WILL have pain crises and other symptoms. Think of the trait as a less severe version of the disease. OP, I can't decide for you if you're in the right to be angry. I can only provide you with scientific facts."
This is true. Having the trait means that we inherited a normal allele from one of our parents and an abnormal (sickle cell) allele from the other parent. We have both normal (round) and abnormal (sickle-shaped) red blood cells in our bodies. If you look at our blood under a microscope, you will see both shapes of red blood cells present. The abnormally shaped red blood cells that are present can cause health issues for us. The trait is just considered less problematic than the disease because we do have some normal (round) red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have NO normal red blood cells. All of their red blood cells are sickle shaped.
No. That is not how it works. The variant hemoglobin cells LOOK normal under the microscope UNLESS they are "sickled" -- it's not a default shape. They undergo "sickling" and change shape, which is what causes the crises in those that have them. Otherwise the blood flows normally. If they were always in sickled shape, people with SCA would always be in crisis.
Sickle hemoglobin is not like normal hemoglobin. Under low oxygen conditions, hemoglobin S transforms into stiff strands within red blood cells. These stiff strands change the shape of the cell, causing the “sickled,” or crescent-shaped, red blood cell that gives the disease its name. Sickled red blood cells are not flexible and can stick to vessel walls, which can block or slow blood flow.
NIH webpage
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sickle-cell-disease/
The red blood cells aren’t always sickled (as they have to undergo sickling), but there are always SOME sickled red blood cells that are present in the bodies of those with sickle cell disease at any given moment. If you looked at their blood under a microscope, you would always see SOME amount of sickled red blood cells (whether they’re in a crisis or not). The number of sickled red blood cells present in the body INCREASES under certain conditions (like low levels of oxygen in the body). A sickle cell crisis happens when those sickled red blood cells clump together. Those sickled red blood cells build up and become stuck in blood vessels as they’re attempting to travel throughout the body (as normal red blood cells do). This happening is what sets off a crisis.
“The sickle-shaped cells become more numerous when people have infections or low levels of oxygen in the blood.” - https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/blood-disorders/anemia/sickle-cell-disease
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Shocked by these responses.
This is a serious big deal. Just like it would be to hide infertility. This might not be a big deal for some but is for OP so one should be dismissing her concerns.
No, it’s not even close to hiding infertility. It should have been mentioned to make sure that the partner is not a carrier as well, but being a carrier doesn’t affect quality of life. SCD develops when inherited from both parents.
According to a previous poster, this is incorrect. See quote below.
"It's a widespread myth that sickle cell trait is always asymptomatic. Sickle cell trait is an intermediate phenotype, not a true asymptomatic carrier state. A proportion of individuals with SCT WILL have pain crises and other symptoms. Think of the trait as a less severe version of the disease. OP, I can't decide for you if you're in the right to be angry. I can only provide you with scientific facts."
This is true. Having the trait means that we inherited a normal allele from one of our parents and an abnormal (sickle cell) allele from the other parent. We have both normal (round) and abnormal (sickle-shaped) red blood cells in our bodies. If you look at our blood under a microscope, you will see both shapes of red blood cells present. The abnormally shaped red blood cells that are present can cause health issues for us. The trait is just considered less problematic than the disease because we do have some normal (round) red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have NO normal red blood cells. All of their red blood cells are sickle shaped.
No. That is not how it works. The variant hemoglobin cells LOOK normal under the microscope UNLESS they are "sickled" -- it's not a default shape. They undergo "sickling" and change shape, which is what causes the crises in those that have them. Otherwise the blood flows normally. If they were always in sickled shape, people with SCA would always be in crisis.
Sickle hemoglobin is not like normal hemoglobin. Under low oxygen conditions, hemoglobin S transforms into stiff strands within red blood cells. These stiff strands change the shape of the cell, causing the “sickled,” or crescent-shaped, red blood cell that gives the disease its name. Sickled red blood cells are not flexible and can stick to vessel walls, which can block or slow blood flow.
NIH webpage
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sickle-cell-disease/
The red blood cells aren’t always sickled (as they have to undergo sickling), but there are always SOME sickled red blood cells that are present in the bodies of those with sickle cell disease at any given moment. If you looked at their blood under a microscope, you would always see SOME amount of sickled red blood cells (whether they’re in a crisis or not). The number of sickled red blood cells present in the body INCREASES under certain conditions (like low levels of oxygen in the body). A sickle cell crisis happens when those sickled red blood cells clump together. Those sickled red blood cells build up and become stuck in blood vessels as they’re attempting to travel throughout the body (as normal red blood cells do). This happening is what sets off a crisis.
“The sickle-shaped cells become more numerous when people have infections or low levels of oxygen in the blood.” - https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/blood-disorders/anemia/sickle-cell-disease
Yep. Medical examiners see some sickled RBC present in specimens taken from every person with sickle cell trait and sickle cell disease. This is one of the ways that they’re able to determine that someone had SCT or SCD (even if it didn’t contribute to the person’s death). You don’t need to be in a crisis or to have ever experienced a crisis (in the case of those with SCT) for sickled RBC to be present.
My apologies, but just to clarify -- are both of you claiming that you can rely on a peripheral blood smear to rule out sickle cell anemia and/or sickle cell trait, because there will always be visible sickle cells? Is that what you each are saying?
I’m not sure about the other poster, but that’s what I’m saying. I will never claim that any diagnostic test is 100% accurate, but I will say that peripheral blood smears are highly accurate at detecting sickle cell in the vast majority of people. (Infants are the exception to the rule.)
https://imagebank.hematology.org/image/3958/sickle-cell-disease-ndash-rbc-morphology--1
https://academic.oup.com/labmed/article-abstract/31/8/445/2657125
https://www.rmj.org.pk/fulltext/27-1594051429.pdf
Anonymous
01/27/2026 15:05
Subject: Re:Husband has Sickle Cell gene and didn't tell me
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Shocked by these responses.
This is a serious big deal. Just like it would be to hide infertility. This might not be a big deal for some but is for OP so one should be dismissing her concerns.
No, it’s not even close to hiding infertility. It should have been mentioned to make sure that the partner is not a carrier as well, but being a carrier doesn’t affect quality of life. SCD develops when inherited from both parents.
According to a previous poster, this is incorrect. See quote below.
"It's a widespread myth that sickle cell trait is always asymptomatic. Sickle cell trait is an intermediate phenotype, not a true asymptomatic carrier state. A proportion of individuals with SCT WILL have pain crises and other symptoms. Think of the trait as a less severe version of the disease. OP, I can't decide for you if you're in the right to be angry. I can only provide you with scientific facts."
This is true. Having the trait means that we inherited a normal allele from one of our parents and an abnormal (sickle cell) allele from the other parent. We have both normal (round) and abnormal (sickle-shaped) red blood cells in our bodies. If you look at our blood under a microscope, you will see both shapes of red blood cells present. The abnormally shaped red blood cells that are present can cause health issues for us. The trait is just considered less problematic than the disease because we do have some normal (round) red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have NO normal red blood cells. All of their red blood cells are sickle shaped.
No. That is not how it works. The variant hemoglobin cells LOOK normal under the microscope UNLESS they are "sickled" -- it's not a default shape. They undergo "sickling" and change shape, which is what causes the crises in those that have them. Otherwise the blood flows normally. If they were always in sickled shape, people with SCA would always be in crisis.
Sickle hemoglobin is not like normal hemoglobin. Under low oxygen conditions, hemoglobin S transforms into stiff strands within red blood cells. These stiff strands change the shape of the cell, causing the “sickled,” or crescent-shaped, red blood cell that gives the disease its name. Sickled red blood cells are not flexible and can stick to vessel walls, which can block or slow blood flow.
NIH webpage
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sickle-cell-disease/
The red blood cells aren’t always sickled (as they have to undergo sickling), but there are always SOME sickled red blood cells that are present in the bodies of those with sickle cell disease at any given moment. If you looked at their blood under a microscope, you would always see SOME amount of sickled red blood cells (whether they’re in a crisis or not). The number of sickled red blood cells present in the body INCREASES under certain conditions (like low levels of oxygen in the body). A sickle cell crisis happens when those sickled red blood cells clump together. Those sickled red blood cells build up and become stuck in blood vessels as they’re attempting to travel throughout the body (as normal red blood cells do). This happening is what sets off a crisis.
“The sickle-shaped cells become more numerous when people have infections or low levels of oxygen in the blood.” - https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/blood-disorders/anemia/sickle-cell-disease
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Shocked by these responses.
This is a serious big deal. Just like it would be to hide infertility. This might not be a big deal for some but is for OP so one should be dismissing her concerns.
No, it’s not even close to hiding infertility. It should have been mentioned to make sure that the partner is not a carrier as well, but being a carrier doesn’t affect quality of life. SCD develops when inherited from both parents.
According to a previous poster, this is incorrect. See quote below.
"It's a widespread myth that sickle cell trait is always asymptomatic. Sickle cell trait is an intermediate phenotype, not a true asymptomatic carrier state. A proportion of individuals with SCT WILL have pain crises and other symptoms. Think of the trait as a less severe version of the disease. OP, I can't decide for you if you're in the right to be angry. I can only provide you with scientific facts."
This is true. Having the trait means that we inherited a normal allele from one of our parents and an abnormal (sickle cell) allele from the other parent. We have both normal (round) and abnormal (sickle-shaped) red blood cells in our bodies. If you look at our blood under a microscope, you will see both shapes of red blood cells present. The abnormally shaped red blood cells that are present can cause health issues for us. The trait is just considered less problematic than the disease because we do have some normal (round) red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have NO normal red blood cells. All of their red blood cells are sickle shaped.
No. That is not how it works. The variant hemoglobin cells LOOK normal under the microscope UNLESS they are "sickled" -- it's not a default shape. They undergo "sickling" and change shape, which is what causes the crises in those that have them. Otherwise the blood flows normally. If they were always in sickled shape, people with SCA would always be in crisis.
Sickle hemoglobin is not like normal hemoglobin. Under low oxygen conditions, hemoglobin S transforms into stiff strands within red blood cells. These stiff strands change the shape of the cell, causing the “sickled,” or crescent-shaped, red blood cell that gives the disease its name. Sickled red blood cells are not flexible and can stick to vessel walls, which can block or slow blood flow.
NIH webpage
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sickle-cell-disease/
The red blood cells aren’t always sickled (as they have to undergo sickling), but there are always SOME sickled red blood cells that are present in the bodies of those with sickle cell disease at any given moment. If you looked at their blood under a microscope, you would always see SOME amount of sickled red blood cells (whether they’re in a crisis or not). The number of sickled red blood cells present in the body INCREASES under certain conditions (like low levels of oxygen in the body). A sickle cell crisis happens when those sickled red blood cells clump together. Those sickled red blood cells build up and become stuck in blood vessels as they’re attempting to travel throughout the body (as normal red blood cells do). This happening is what sets off a crisis.
“The sickle-shaped cells become more numerous when people have infections or low levels of oxygen in the blood.” - https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/blood-disorders/anemia/sickle-cell-disease
Yep. Medical examiners see some sickled RBC present in specimens taken from every person with sickle cell trait and sickle cell disease. This is one of the ways that they’re able to determine that someone had SCT or SCD (even if it didn’t contribute to the person’s death). You don’t need to be in a crisis or to have ever experienced a crisis (in the case of those with SCT) for sickled RBC to be present.
My apologies, but just to clarify -- are both of you claiming that you can rely on a peripheral blood smear to rule out sickle cell anemia and/or sickle cell trait, because there will always be visible sickle cells? Is that what you each are saying?
Anonymous
01/27/2026 10:06
Subject: Re:Husband has Sickle Cell gene and didn't tell me
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Shocked by these responses.
This is a serious big deal. Just like it would be to hide infertility. This might not be a big deal for some but is for OP so one should be dismissing her concerns.
No, it’s not even close to hiding infertility. It should have been mentioned to make sure that the partner is not a carrier as well, but being a carrier doesn’t affect quality of life. SCD develops when inherited from both parents.
According to a previous poster, this is incorrect. See quote below.
"It's a widespread myth that sickle cell trait is always asymptomatic. Sickle cell trait is an intermediate phenotype, not a true asymptomatic carrier state. A proportion of individuals with SCT WILL have pain crises and other symptoms. Think of the trait as a less severe version of the disease. OP, I can't decide for you if you're in the right to be angry. I can only provide you with scientific facts."
This is true. Having the trait means that we inherited a normal allele from one of our parents and an abnormal (sickle cell) allele from the other parent. We have both normal (round) and abnormal (sickle-shaped) red blood cells in our bodies. If you look at our blood under a microscope, you will see both shapes of red blood cells present. The abnormally shaped red blood cells that are present can cause health issues for us. The trait is just considered less problematic than the disease because we do have some normal (round) red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have NO normal red blood cells. All of their red blood cells are sickle shaped.
No. That is not how it works. The variant hemoglobin cells LOOK normal under the microscope UNLESS they are "sickled" -- it's not a default shape. They undergo "sickling" and change shape, which is what causes the crises in those that have them. Otherwise the blood flows normally. If they were always in sickled shape, people with SCA would always be in crisis.
Sickle hemoglobin is not like normal hemoglobin. Under low oxygen conditions, hemoglobin S transforms into stiff strands within red blood cells. These stiff strands change the shape of the cell, causing the “sickled,” or crescent-shaped, red blood cell that gives the disease its name. Sickled red blood cells are not flexible and can stick to vessel walls, which can block or slow blood flow.
NIH webpage
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sickle-cell-disease/
The red blood cells aren’t always sickled (as they have to undergo sickling), but there are always SOME sickled red blood cells that are present in the bodies of those with sickle cell disease at any given moment. If you looked at their blood under a microscope, you would always see SOME amount of sickled red blood cells (whether they’re in a crisis or not). The number of sickled red blood cells present in the body INCREASES under certain conditions (like low levels of oxygen in the body). A sickle cell crisis happens when those sickled red blood cells clump together. Those sickled red blood cells build up and become stuck in blood vessels as they’re attempting to travel throughout the body (as normal red blood cells do). This happening is what sets off a crisis.
“The sickle-shaped cells become more numerous when people have infections or low levels of oxygen in the blood.” - https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/blood-disorders/anemia/sickle-cell-disease
Yep. Medical examiners see some sickled RBC present in specimens taken from every person with sickle cell trait and sickle cell disease. This is one of the ways that they’re able to determine that someone had SCT or SCD (even if it didn’t contribute to the person’s death). You don’t need to be in a crisis or to have ever experienced a crisis (in the case of those with SCT) for sickled RBC to be present.
Anonymous
01/27/2026 08:30
Subject: Husband has Sickle Cell gene and didn't tell me
^^This is part of why you can't just check every blood sample under the microscope and have a 30 second screen for everyone.
Anonymous
01/27/2026 07:59
Subject: Re:Husband has Sickle Cell gene and didn't tell me
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Shocked by these responses.
This is a serious big deal. Just like it would be to hide infertility. This might not be a big deal for some but is for OP so one should be dismissing her concerns.
No, it’s not even close to hiding infertility. It should have been mentioned to make sure that the partner is not a carrier as well, but being a carrier doesn’t affect quality of life. SCD develops when inherited from both parents.
According to a previous poster, this is incorrect. See quote below.
"It's a widespread myth that sickle cell trait is always asymptomatic. Sickle cell trait is an intermediate phenotype, not a true asymptomatic carrier state. A proportion of individuals with SCT WILL have pain crises and other symptoms. Think of the trait as a less severe version of the disease. OP, I can't decide for you if you're in the right to be angry. I can only provide you with scientific facts."
This is true. Having the trait means that we inherited a normal allele from one of our parents and an abnormal (sickle cell) allele from the other parent. We have both normal (round) and abnormal (sickle-shaped) red blood cells in our bodies. If you look at our blood under a microscope, you will see both shapes of red blood cells present. The abnormally shaped red blood cells that are present can cause health issues for us. The trait is just considered less problematic than the disease because we do have some normal (round) red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have NO normal red blood cells. All of their red blood cells are sickle shaped.
No. That is not how it works. The variant hemoglobin cells LOOK normal under the microscope UNLESS they are "sickled" -- it's not a default shape. They undergo "sickling" and change shape, which is what causes the crises in those that have them. Otherwise the blood flows normally. If they were always in sickled shape, people with SCA would always be in crisis.
Sickle hemoglobin is not like normal hemoglobin. Under low oxygen conditions, hemoglobin S transforms into stiff strands within red blood cells. These stiff strands change the shape of the cell, causing the “sickled,” or crescent-shaped, red blood cell that gives the disease its name. Sickled red blood cells are not flexible and can stick to vessel walls, which can block or slow blood flow.
NIH webpage
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sickle-cell-disease/
The red blood cells aren’t always sickled (as they have to undergo sickling), but there are always SOME sickled red blood cells that are present in the bodies of those with sickle cell disease at any given moment. If you looked at their blood under a microscope, you would always see SOME amount of sickled red blood cells (whether they’re in a crisis or not). The number of sickled red blood cells present in the body INCREASES under certain conditions (like low levels of oxygen in the body). A sickle cell crisis happens when those sickled red blood cells clump together. Those sickled red blood cells build up and become stuck in blood vessels as they’re attempting to travel throughout the body (as normal red blood cells do). This happening is what sets off a crisis.
“The sickle-shaped cells become more numerous when people have infections or low levels of oxygen in the blood.” - https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/blood-disorders/anemia/sickle-cell-disease
Anonymous
01/27/2026 06:08
Subject: Re:Husband has Sickle Cell gene and didn't tell me
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Shocked by these responses.
This is a serious big deal. Just like it would be to hide infertility. This might not be a big deal for some but is for OP so one should be dismissing her concerns.
No, it’s not even close to hiding infertility. It should have been mentioned to make sure that the partner is not a carrier as well, but being a carrier doesn’t affect quality of life. SCD develops when inherited from both parents.
According to a previous poster, this is incorrect. See quote below.
"It's a widespread myth that sickle cell trait is always asymptomatic. Sickle cell trait is an intermediate phenotype, not a true asymptomatic carrier state. A proportion of individuals with SCT WILL have pain crises and other symptoms. Think of the trait as a less severe version of the disease. OP, I can't decide for you if you're in the right to be angry. I can only provide you with scientific facts."
This is true. Having the trait means that we inherited a normal allele from one of our parents and an abnormal (sickle cell) allele from the other parent. We have both normal (round) and abnormal (sickle-shaped) red blood cells in our bodies. If you look at our blood under a microscope, you will see both shapes of red blood cells present. The abnormally shaped red blood cells that are present can cause health issues for us. The trait is just considered less problematic than the disease because we do have some normal (round) red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have NO normal red blood cells. All of their red blood cells are sickle shaped.
No. That is not how it works. The variant hemoglobin cells LOOK normal under the microscope UNLESS they are "sickled" -- it's not a default shape. They undergo "sickling" and change shape, which is what causes the crises in those that have them. Otherwise the blood flows normally. If they were always in sickled shape, people with SCA would always be in crisis.
Sickle hemoglobin is not like normal hemoglobin. Under low oxygen conditions, hemoglobin S transforms into stiff strands within red blood cells. These stiff strands change the shape of the cell, causing the “sickled,” or crescent-shaped, red blood cell that gives the disease its name. Sickled red blood cells are not flexible and can stick to vessel walls, which can block or slow blood flow.
NIH webpage
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sickle-cell-disease/