A 24-year-old African American woman comes to the office with her husband for prenatal counseling. She has a 3-year-old child with sickle cell anemia from a previous marriage, and the child's father died in a car accident. The patient remarried last year and is interested in having more children. She and her new husband do not have sickle cell anemia, and the patient's husband has no other children. However, the patient and her husband are worried that their future children could have sickle cell anemia. A urine pregnancy test is negative. Which of the following is the best initial test that can be offered to this couple?

Question

A 24-year-old African American woman comes to the office with her husband for prenatal counseling.  She has a 3-year-old child with sickle cell anemia from a previous marriage, and the child's father died in a car accident.  The patient remarried last year and is interested in having more children.  She and her new husband do not have sickle cell anemia, and the patient's husband has no other children.  However, the patient and her husband are worried that their future children could have sickle cell anemia.  A urine pregnancy test is negative.  Which of the following is the best initial test that can be offered to this couple?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Sickle cell anemia is an autosomal recessive hemoglobinopathy.  In order for a child to have sickle cell disease, both parents must be carriers.  Hemoglobin electrophoresis can be used to determine the carrier status of a prospective parent who has no history of sickle cell anemia.

A 24-Year-Old African American Woman Comes to the Office with Her