May 30 2008
Comparing MDS and Ds: Differences in Reproduction (part 2)
Yesterday I wrote about reproduction in MDS and Ds. Yesterday was also the last day of school! So, as I was writing my article, I had a very excited 12 yr old bouncing through the house planning his entire summer vacation. This involved lots of phone calls (we are officially on the verge of teenage years!) and lots of other 12 year olds, in and out of the house. Which resulted in my yelling “Close the Door!!!” about a million times! Awwww…… summer is officially here! Hopefully I will still be fully intact and with all my mental capacities about me by August. However, spending the summer in a nice, quiet, hospital does have its appeal! 
So, as I was writing my article and yelling “Close the Door!!!” a million times, I failed to include an important part of this article! I am grateful to Leonora for emailing me and pointing this out. I have included Leonora’s message here:
As for the business of having children, if someone with DS is married to someone who doesn’t have DS, then half of all the babies conceived will have DS but four fifths of those pregnancies will fail, so, for each pregnancy, if you have DS you end up with only a 1 in 10 chance of giving birth to a child with DS. But I found miscarriages very upsetting, and I don’t know if I would want to take on that level of risk. One can also consider pre-implantation embryo selection, if one has no moral or emotional problems with that. If and when my son wants to have children, I will want him to be able to consider those options.
Leonora also gave me information on a woman with Down syndrome who had a baby in Brazil. I would like to include that here as well:
Woman with DS gives birth to a little girl in Brazil (Socorro, Sao
Paulo)
Maria Gabriela, 27, has been living with her husband, who has a mild intellectual disability, at her mothers house for 3 years.
On the 20 Valentina, who doesn’t has DS, was born 3 weeks early, with 2260 kg and 42 cm. The girl is healthy and Maria Gabriela said she was very moved when she looked at her child’s face for the first time. She also said she is ready for the challenge of raising and educating her daughter.
Th grand mother said the child is a blessing and that the couple would have every help they needed and that everyone in the house will help raise her. She affirmed that she is sure her daughter will fill her granddaughter with love and care.
The doctor said the delivery should set an example. Everything went fine, with no complications.
READ the original article, in Portuguese, from Brazil
That was a great story! It goes to show that Nothing is impossible just because you have Down syndrome and with love and support anything can happen!
Thanks Leonora!
So, I wanted to be sure I gave you these updates before I moved to the next subject. Tomorrow, I will begin talking about how MDS happens and how it is diagnosed. (this series will be very interesting, especially to those who wonder if their child with T21 actually has MDS)
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