Question
When both partners are diagnosed with mild thalassemia, how can they have a child with minimal harm to the wife? In a previous pregnancy, the baby’s heartbeat stopped at nine weeks, leading to a detailed examination. I was not diagnosed with thalassemia during my pre-marital physical examination.
Answer
When both partners have the same type of thalassemia, there is a 25% chance of having a healthy child with each pregnancy, a 50% chance of having an extremely mild or mild patient, and a 25% chance of having a child with severe anemia. If both partners have the same type of thalassemia, such as α or β thalassemia intermedia or minor hemoglobinopathy, they may have a child with severe α or β thalassemia.