I found out I have FAP when I was 12 and I was just wondering if anybody has had kids when they have had it, but not passed it on to their kids. I already have pre-cancerous cells in my stomach and colon, and I have to have surgury during winter break this year, and I'm so worried. I told my boyfriend about it and he wants to be at the hospital when i have my surgury. Do you think I'm going in the right direction? Or should I just adopt so I can't take a risk?
Cancer - 8 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
I wouldn't. Especially as there are so many children waiting to be adopted.
2 :
That question is really up to you and your doctor
3 :
You better ask gynecologist. they know better.
4 :
I'm not familiar with your disease, but if I knew for one minute, that I had a possibility of passing on a potentially life threatening disease to one of my children, I wouldn't get pregnant. This decision is not about you or your future husband, it's about the children you would bring into this world. If they were to be the recipient of the disease, would you ever forgive yourself, as you watched your child suffer with the disease, knowing you could have prevented it? As far as adopting, you have to ask yourself, what are your chances of being around to raise this child? How manageable is FAP? You also need to consult with more than one doctor. This is a life altering decision, not only for you, but for any child you bring into it, through pregnancy or adoption.
5 :
FAP occurs when a person is born with a mutation in a specific gene called the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene. People born with FAP are at nearly 100 percent risk of developing colon cancer if they do not undergo surgery. They also have an elevated risk of contracting certain other types of cancer. Among them are cancer of the small bowel (the part of the digestive tract located above the colon and rectum); cancer of the thyroid and cancer of the brain, as well as a rare form of childhood liver cancer. People with FAP account for roughly one percent of all colon cancer cases. About 1 in every 8,000 people has FAP. FAP is inherited in what's called autosomal dominant fashion. This means that a person only needs to inherit one mutated version of an FAP associated gene in order to have FAP and a high risk for cancer. Because of the way we inherit genes, if one of your parents has FAP, you have a 50 percent chance of inheriting it. Likewise, if you have FAP, your children have a 50 percent chance of inheriting it. So, your child may or may not inherit this disease. A 50% chance....I would talk to your Dr. about it for more information. Good luck to you.
6 :
About one in four people get some kind of cancer. So unless you think a quarter of the population should not have ANY children (wait, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing!) then you are thinking too hard. Genetics are only one part of the cancer risk profile; someone at "high risk" genetically who lives a healthy life with a healthy diet will likely not get colon cancer, whereas someone at low genetic risk who lives on low-fiber foods, smokes, drinks a lot & gets no exercise will likely develop the disease...
7 :
The decision to have children should be left up to you and your partner. There is no right or wrong answer here. You know what it is like to be tested every year from childhood and that is what would happen to any child you have who inherits this condition. Your child has a 50/50 percent chance of being normal too .. or having the gene but not the condition. Hopefully with advances in medical science the answers to solving this condition will some day be available. Until that time . . having a child is up to you and your doctor. You should research this as much as possible and find others who have made decisions about what to do. I don't think you need to automatically believe you should not have children. Once you know that you have FAP you will always be monitored and any cancer that develops will be taken care of very early. Small stage 1 cancer is easily removed. It is advanced stage IV cancer that is difficult to manage. Because you are being watched you will be very careful to have any nodules removed early. Stay strong. Do some more research and be hopeful.
8 :
Having children is hard enough when everything is normal. Why not wait at least for now. I wouldnt worry about that now but rather later. Meanwhile my best advice is that birth control methods are not 100 percent effective so you need to know that.
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