Type 1 Type 1 and having children

[enea2016]

It has been a bit more than one year that I have been diagnosed with Type 1 and being close to 40 years old it happened in a crucial moment of my life. While it has not been easy to adjust to a new life style, the most difficult part is considering my condition's implications for our plan to have children.
Simply put, can we take the chance of having a baby born with type 1?
I have tried to get informed about the scientific evidences and I don't have a clear picture yet of what this chance might be. I am a man and my partner is non diabetic.

Any thoughts of the issue are welcome.

Thank you and keep going!

 

[catapillar]

In general, a man who developed type 1 diabetes over the age of 11 has a 1 in 17 chance of having a child who goes on to develop type 1 diabetes.

If you're a child whose neither parent has type 1, you still have a 1 in 100 risk of developing type 1. Everyone has a risk of getting type 1 diabetes whether there is family history or not - it's not solely genetic, there are identical twins where only one has type 1, we don't know what causes it.

1 in 17 vs 1 in 100 doesn't seem like that much of an increase in risk, to me.

Regardless, does having type 1 really make you wish youd not been born? It doesn't make me feel like that. Type 1s a pain in the unmentionables, but it's perfectly possible to live a happy and fulfilling life and have all the same opportunities as everyone else with type 1.

 

[novorapidboi26]

I would never have let my diagnosis stop me from having children, never.....

If children is something you want do in life, which for most it is, then go for it.....

 

[enea2016]

Thank you, that was very helpful. Are these odds coming from where?

My point is that I have experienced Type 1 as an adult, it is quite different to have it from early age. To have a child that has to go through type 1 from the very start it is a tough decision because of the consequences for both child and her/his parents.

I would be in 1 to 17 odds according to your information if reliable.

Once more, thank you.

In general, a man who developed type 1 diabetes over the age of 11 has a 1 in 17 chance of having a child who goes on to develop type 1 diabetes.

If you're a child whose neither parent has type 1, you still have a 1 in 100 risk of developing type 1. Everyone has a risk of getting type 1 diabetes whether there is family history or not - it's not solely genetic, there are identical twins where only one has type 1, we don't know what causes it.

1 in 17 vs 1 in 100 doesn't seem like that much of an increase in risk, to me.

Regardless, does having type 1 really make you wish youd not been born? It doesn't make me feel like that. Type 1s a pain in the unmentionables, but it's perfectly possible to live a happy and fulfilling life and have all the same opportunities as everyone else with type 1.

 

[JohnEGreen]

My wife's brother's first child was born with CF his second child was not with CF it's a one in four chance.
Neither child had diabetes he has type 1 diabetes.

 

[Emily95]

If the mother is type 1 diabetic, there is a 1-4% chance the child will be type 1. If the father is type 1 diabetic there is a 4-8% chance the child will have type 1 diabetes. This is the same for each child you have, first child, second child, third child, the chance with each pregnancy is the same.

 

[noblehead]

Any thoughts of the issue are welcome.

Concur totally with what @novorapidboi26 said, although we were acutely aware of the risks it didn't stop my wife and I from starting a family.

Good luck with you & yours decision making @enea2016

 

[enea2016]

Thank you all for your reply. 4-8% is not negligible even though I thought it was higher. I can't say that this is the only issue to consider for having children but I cannot ignore it. For what I heard, it is a very tough life growing up with type 1 besides the very heavy toll on parents at the early years.

It's a tough call.

 

[Snapsy]

I would never have let my diagnosis stop me from having children, never.....

If children is something you want do in life, which for most it is, then go for it.....

Absolutely, @novorapidboi26 !

If I had my time again, I would absolutely not let it hold me back.

*blows nose noisily*

 

[Engineer88]

I refuse to have children on the basis I cant put something I would love so much through as much **** as this.

I now have two step children and they don't do anything positive for my blood sugars either!

 

[noblehead]

For what I heard, it is a very tough life growing up with type 1 besides the very heavy toll on parents at the early years.

But there's nothing to say that they'll get type 1 in childhood if your child/children do go on to develop diabetes, there's members on the forum who were diagnosed in their 30's, 40's (as you were) and 50's, it isn't just a childhood condition as you well know @enea2016

 

[enea2016]

But there's nothing to say that they'll get type 1 in childhood if your child/children do go on to develop diabetes, there's members on the forum who were diagnosed in their 30's, 40's (as you were) and 50's, it isn't just a childhood condition as you well know @enea2016

True enough but it is a game of odds unfortunately. And having a father with Type 1 increases the odds of getting it from the start or later in life. During my dafne session, there were a lot of people that had one of their parents with type 1 and thought they did not get it only to have diagnosed later.
What scares me most is the baby diagnosed scenario, it breaks my heart to be in part responsible in case..

 

[azure]

True enough but it is a game of odds unfortunately. And having a father with Type 1 increases the odds of getting it from the start or later in life. During my dafne session, there were a lot of people that had one of their parents with type 1 and thought they did not get it only to have diagnosed later.
What scares me most is the baby diagnosed scenario, it breaks my heart to be in part responsible in case..

I have Type 1 and I have 3 children. There are thousands of diseases and medical conditions out there and, as a mum, I worry about any that I read about - that's natural.

My consultant told me that Type 1 is 20% genetic, 80% environmental. Most people with the 'Type 1 genes' do NOT get diabetes. It takes an as yet unknown environmental trigger.

So the fact I have Type 1 doesn't make me worry about my children gettimg it - because I know the odds are that they won't. They have a slightly increased risk - but only very slightly.

I'd never not have had children because of the diabetes. They're the best thing I've ever done in my life.

 

[noblehead]

Maybe your mind is made-up already @enea2016 , couples live quite happily without having children so don't worry too much if you and yours decide not to have children.

 

[enea2016]

I have Type 1 and I have 3 children. There are thousands of diseases and medical conditions out there and, as a mum, I worry about any that I read about - that's natural.

My consultant told me that Type 1 is 20% genetic, 80% environmental. Most people with the 'Type 1 genes' do NOT get diabetes. It takes an as yet unknown environmental trigger.

So the fact I have Type 1 doesn't make me worry about my children gettimg it - because I know the odds are that they won't. They have a slightly increased risk - but only very slightly.

I'd never not have had children because of the diabetes. They're the best thing I've ever done in my life.

Thank you Azure for your reply.

 

[enea2016]

Maybe your mind is made-up already @enea2016 , couples live quite happily without having children so don't worry too much if you and yours decide not to have children.

It could be that I am looking for a reason not to have children. What I know is that I do feel anxious about the potential impact of my condition, I would spare it to anyone if I could.

 

[noblehead]

It could be that I am looking for a reason not to have children. What I know is that I do feel anxious about the potential impact of my condition, I would spare it to anyone if I could.

What does your good lady say about it all, wanting and having children has to be a joint decision.

 

[pavlosn]

"Type 1 and type 2 diabetes have different causes. Yet two factors are important in both. You inherit a predisposition to the disease then something in your environment triggers it.

Genes alone are not enough. One proof of this is identical twins. Identical twins have identical genes. Yet when one twin has type 1 diabetes, the other gets the disease at most only half the time."

......

" In general, if you are a man with type 1 diabetes, the odds of your child developing diabetes are 1 in 17.

If you are a woman with type 1 diabetes and your child was born before you were 25, your child's risk is 1 in 25; if your child was born after you turned 25, your child's risk is 1 in 100.

Your child's risk is doubled if you developed diabetes before age 11. If both you and your partner have type 1 diabetes, the risk is between 1 in 10 and 1 in 4.

There is an exception to these numbers. About 1 in every 7 people with type 1 diabetes has a condition called type 2 polyglandular autoimmune syndrome. In addition to having diabetes, these people also have thyroid disease and a poorly working adrenal gland. Some also have other immune systemdisorders. If you have this syndrome, your child's risk of getting the syndrome — including type 1 diabetes — is 1 in 2."

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/genetics-of-diabetes.html?referrer=http://www.google.com.cy/



Sent from my SM-G935F using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app

 

[catapillar]

Thank you, that was very helpful. Are these odds coming from where?

The American diabetes association - http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/genetics-of-diabetes.html

And the joslin diabetes centre - http://www.joslin.org/info/genetics_and_diabetes.html

 

[Scott-C]

It's a difficult question you've got there, @enea2016 , and I hope you find the answer to it.

If I was in the same position, I'd probably think, well, what are me and the wife going to say to each other in twenty or thirty years time when we talk about our decision all those years ago to not have a kid just because I happened to be T1?

I reckon we'd both deeply regret not having a kid just because there was a statistical chance that he/she might become T1.

Statistics and % chances of your offspring being T1 are one thing. Living your life is another. No-one gets anywhere without taking a few risks.

You're recently dx'd. Please don't make any life changing decisions about whether or not to have kids so early on in your T1 life.

Your perspective on it might change once you've lived with it longer. It's quite common in the first year or two after dx to see it as this overwhelmingly negative thing where the idea of having kids seems impossible, but after you get used to it, you might start thinking, yeah, I can manage this.

Best wishes, man.