Passing crohn's to a child

I am the youngest child out of five. None of my siblings or closest elder family members have Crohns, only me. I three adult children, none of them or my five grandbabies have it either. It can happen but, not that common. Good luck on your future baby.

I understand, but you do have to remember that you are not passing a terminal illness. My husband has Lupus and I have CD. We have a 9 year old daughter. I had her after I knew I was sick. I know she has a 50/50 chance, but I would not have missed having her in my life because of this disease.

I know that even if she does end up with active CD that I can teach her and support her through it. I had to learn on my own so I think it can be easier for her. This is how I do not let myself feel guilty about it. There is nothing to feel guilty about anyway.

Good luck with your decision. I really hope you find peace with whatever you choose to do.

I have 2 girls, both were conceive before my crohns diagnosis. 3 children was always the "plan", but the plan has changed beause of my crohns. We have been through the ringer with my oldest. She is 7. They have just diagnosised her with celiac disease. I personally have trouble dealing with passing this disease on, so IF we do decide that the time is right for another child, we will start the adoption process.

My Mom had CD, and there is a strong trait on her side, and my Dad has AS, both can be inherited. I have one adopted sister, so biologically I'm an only child. I've already got the CD and my joints are bad, so the AS may be right around the corner. BUT, I would never blame either of my parents. If anything, I thank my Mom for showing me how to have a wonderful life despite this DD.

I had my older daughter before I was Dx, but I didn't think twice before trying for a second child. There are so many things that we hand down to our kids, and in the grand scheme of life, CD is sooooo manageable. It could be cancer, diabetes, heart disease or any number of other things that could ultimately kill them. If diabetes or heart disease ran in your family would you think twice about having kids?

I hope and pray that neither of my daughters gets CD, but I've lived my life in a manner so that if they ever do, they will know that they can do whatever they want. They may have to make some adjustments or make some pit stops along the way, but you can still live a great life. CD isn't a death sentence.

My dad has Crohns, and a VERY severe case of it too...him and my mom(healthy) of course had me and yes, I DO have Crohns too....however I would NEVER of wanted them not to have me, even during the days I am in the most horrid of pain and torture I don't think bad of them for having me....LIVING is worth more then not having that choice at all if they had been too afraid. When my husband and I decide to have kids, it won't hold me back either, I'd rather give the kid the choice of course to live then never try at all. As others said, CD isn't a death sentance and all.

CD has made me 10 times stronger than the person I would have been without it. You may think you are hurting the child, but god made us the way we are for a reason. If he or she has crohns disease they will learn to live with it. Dont keep yourself from having kids...because of the possibility.

Im glad my parents had me....Would I say ...."they should have never had me to begin with knowing I might get CD" Heck no...!

this hit my mom hard as she grew up seeing her father go through it, and it eventually took his life as at the time they didnt have the meds they have now so he always had surgery and it came down to small bowel syndrome - he needed surgery to live but if they did he wouldnt have enough intestines left and he'd die. so that sucked. i think i was like 5 at the time so i was too young to really understand. my mom and her siblings dont have the disease. but then it was hard for my mom cos she had to see me go through it. my brother and sister so far are fine. my sister has 2 daughters and they are ok.


i've wrestled with this myself. i came to the conclusion that i'd have kids. it took a while but here is why: kids are always a risk. the baby could come out deformed, or have a host of other physical ailments. it could be retarded, have ADHD, or just be slow. or it could be totally healthy and a prodigy. it is a total roll of the dice. the difference is that we know we have a genetically linked disease and thus run the risk of passing it on to our offspring and thus them to theirs and so forth. but it is only a CHANCE, not a guarantee. one thing i've noticed as i got older is that everybody has got something. maybe not today, but eventually they will get theirs. we already know what our "thing" is. some in life get it early, some later. look at all the stuff out there: cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, parkinson's, MS, the list goes on and on. you have NO IDEA what your kid is gonna come out looking like or develop like or be healthy or have all kinds of problems and when/if they manifest themselves. two healthy people can produce sick kids. like i said before, it is one giant roll of the dice. but virtually everything in life is. all you can do is say a little prayer and hope for the best but be prepared for the worst and raise your children in such a way that when bad stuff happens they are emotionally prepared to deal with it.

Hello,I do understand!! Nobody in my family had any forms of IBD,although,I do "suspect" a cousin. Anyway,last Friday,I attended a very informative Pediatric GI conference (I'm a Pediatric RN),and I specifically asked the Peds GI,what is the percentage of my kids getting Chrohns since I have it,and according to him,it is 8% He did say,and my GI totally agrees that our world is too "sterile" now,people not allowing their kids to have pets,and play in the dirt,this also coincides with kids getting allergies. My kids should be o'kay,we have pets and they LOVE playing in the dirt!! HaHa!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope this is a little helpful

Thankyou all, what lovely people you are. Your replies have made me shed a few tears-they were so touching. Im going to copy them all down to read them in the future.

I've always tried not to let my CD stop me doing anything and im not going to start now! You all have such a lovely perspective on things, i'll always remember your words.

Thankyou all for taking the time to write, you've made me feel alot more positive xx

Life is life, but nothing can replace the love of a child! I have two wonderful teenagers that bring joy to my life daily!!! Wouldn't change a thing! They are two of the most loving caring people I know, besides their father.

Thankyou all again for the replies, i've got them all written down so i can read them when i have an emotional wobble!

Well, we are officially starting to try this weekend so i will leave upto the hands of fate/god! Who knows what will happen, it's all a big adventure good or bad and i know i've got lots of love and support whatever happens xx

I don't have much comment on this post, as I too fear passing this on to a son or daughter.

Anyways, I do know a really awesome movie with Uma Thurman that is based on genetics.

Check it out if you like Sci-Fi. It's called Gattaca.

Take Care

:)