what if the father has sickle trait, does that mean the baby will have it?

Answer 1

If one parent has sickle cell trait and the other parent has the normal type of hemoglobin, there is a 50% (1 in 2) chance with EACH pregnancy that the baby will be born with sickle cell trait.

Answer 2

It depends. If of them has the sickle cell disease, but the other doesnt even have the trait, the child will get the trait. If both of them have the trait, its a 1/4 chance of the sickle cell disease, 1/2 chance of getting the trait, and 1/4 chance of nothing at all. If one of them has sickle cell, but the othe has the trait, it's a 3/4 chance of sickle cell disease, and 1/4 chance of the trait. If neither has sickle cell nor the trait, the child will not have sickle cell and the child will not have the trait.

Answer 3

The life expectancy of children born with sickle cell disease is shortened, although medical advancements have improved their lifespan considerably. These people have two alleles (copies) of the gene for sickle cell. This is called homozygous for sickle cell. They will need frequent trips to the doctor and hospital for what is called sickle cell crisis and for other symptoms.

Those people born with sickle cell trait (the one you are asking about) have only one allele for sickle cell and one normal allele. This is called heterozygous for sickle cell. They are also called carriers, meaning they carry the gene and could pass the sickle cell gene to their children. These people do not normally show signs of disease and have a normal life span. In some cases, however, if their body is very stressed (for example, with another disease) they can have symptoms or have sickle cell crisis.

Sickle cell trait usually only becomes a problem if a person with sickle cell trait marries another person with sickle cell trait. The chance of a child of theirs being born with sickle cell disease is 25%, while 50% of their children will be carriers and 25% will be normal. Remember that these are only chances. In real life you can't predict what any particular child will be.

People who have sickle cell trait often chose to be tested with their spouse when they decide to have children, so they know what to expect. If only one spouse has the trait, then they don't have to worry, as all their children will be healthy.