Suppose that you are a genetic counsellor, and a man and woman come to you with concerns that if they have a child together, it could have sickle cell anemia. Also suppose that genetic tests reveal that the man and woman are both carriers for sickle cell anemia. Which of the following is the best advice you could give them?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sickle cell anemia is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. When both parents are carriers (heterozygous for the sickle cell allele), their children have a 25% chance of inheriting two sickle cell alleles (one from each parent) and having sickle cell anemia, a 50% chance of being carriers like their parents (inheriting one sickle cell allele and one normal allele), and a 25% chance of inheriting two normal alleles.

Suppose That You Are a Genetic Counsellor, and a Man