It seems that this concept of knowing your Genotype was heavily promoted in Nigeria 'cos I've met a whole bunch of people in this US of A, and when I randomly ask them...'do you know your blood Genotype?', I get a whole bunch of blank stares. It's especially interesting to note that the folk who are getting married in this day and age are equally just as clueless about this one, which I find quite surprising.
Just in case you don't know anything about your blood Genotype, make I edumacate una small small...abeg take am easy o, I no be dokita or Biology major.
If your GT is AA: You are pretty much set. You can marry an AA and your kids will all be AA, You can marry an AS and there is a % chance (not to sure the exact figure) that some of your kids will have the AS GT or you can even marry SS sef and your kids will have the AS blood type (worst case scenario).
If your GT is AS: You don't have it that easy. If you get married to an AS man/woman, there is a % chance as well that one or more of your kids will have the SS blood GT (worst case scenario), or the AS blood GT (best case scenario). So if you have 4 kids, 3 of 'em might be AS and one might be SS.
And, if your GT is SS: I advise you to just stick to trying to get with an AA individual or if you meet a fellow SS or AS man/woman of your dreams...you might just wanna consider adopting kids.
I hope that I have managed to convince and not confuse any of una. Anyone who has better knowledge of this kini should please feel free to pick holes in my 'edumacation' and show them the way o jare. No problem!
Soooo, ya girl's blood GenoType is AS and growing up, my ma always made sure to drum it into our heads...Whatever you do, do not marry an AS dude because you do not want to deal with the burden of having a child who has sickle cell (SS Blood GT). And so, armed with that word of advice, when I meet men...along with the preliminary 'Do you have a 401k plan' initial 20 questionnaire that I have prepped for them, I also ask them...'what is your blood GenoType?'... Ha!
I keed, I keed.
Actually, I never really paid much mind to asking men what their blood GT was 'cos true talk, I wasn't even thinking that far ahead but it all came back to me when I got older and I started dating this guy who I tentatively gisted my mom about. And being the forward thinking woman that she is, she asked me...'Do you know what his blood GT is?' and I said 'ummm...no'. But she gave me something to think about, and the very next day I asked him what his GT was and true talk, he aint know (he was born and raised here, wonder if that was a factor for not knowing). But that's another story for another day...or more like never. Ha!
This summer, I tagged along with my friend to ze Hospital. We went to see a mutual friend's brother who was admitted because he had a sickle cell episode (both parents are AS + she had an older brother who died from sickle cell complications, as well ). I tell you, seeing that ish up close and personal was not the business at all. The poor boy was hooked up to all kinds of tubes and was writhing around in SO much pain that by the time I walked out of that hospital, my eyes were wet with tears. It was truly humbling to see this with my own korokoro eyes, I mean...some people get problem for this world o. As a sickle cell child, there are so many restrictions on what one can do and those episodes occur every so often. Kai!
Sooo I did some thinking and I was like na wa o, as an AS babe I no wan carry sickle cell pikin na but does this mean that I have automatic grounds for NEXTING an AS candidate who wants to make me his baby mama? Nope. Like I mentioned, when AS meets AS and they make a baby, it's not going to be a 100% chance that the baby will be SS. Maybe baby # 1 will be AS and baby #2 will be AS but baby #3 just might be SS so errrm if you get 2 healthy babies, you fit end the discussion right there and adopt the rest. But on the flip side, baby #1 could be SS even if the other babies turn out to be AS so errmmm....
Also, if you are not anti-adoption, then sure you can marry whoever you want to marry without the fear that any of your children will have sickle cell blood type.
For someone like me who has this ridiculous ridiculous fear of childbirth, the intense pain (And all those episodes of 16 and pregnant aint helping matters), labor and the whole 9 yards...I am very pro adoption. If I met a man who said 'baby, let's adopt all the way', you don't even know how happy I would be. So ahem, if I met an AS man who said something along the lines of...'Let's not even risk having an SS kid, so let's adopt all our kiddies', I would give him a big fat kiss and say YAY. LOL...
I mean, I always say that it's already hard enough to meet a correct individual that you want to spend the rest of your life with. You gotta factor in 'family history', education, religion, if you're Igbo the fact that he/she is Osu could be a HUGE no-no, then you gotta think about Blood GenoType too? e no easy sha o!
Ah wellz. This ends my PSA for the day. Go home and ask your lovers if they know what their blood GT is. Let's edumacate ourselves on this kini!
63 comments:
Fiiiiiirrrssst!!!
"let's edumacate oursleves on this kini"
gbaski conclusion, right thurrr!
Ps: i just had to continue the active razzness ehn.
lol..
i am AA!!
yayyy..very set!
Mbgeks, werrin come bring this kain marra comot today o? (Just practising my pidgin, someone says I am losing it fast mehn!)
True yarns o.. Saw close up the turmoil living with the genes can cause especially for someone in Naija, def not funny! No one deserves to be put through such pain o..
U sure say the Broz Mama go gree adoption?
"Let's edumacate ourselves on this kini!"
got your biology right but you know there's somethign else you can describe with kini? LOL.
Sickle cell is not easy but I hear there's a new cure with bone marrow transplant. But yeah better be safe or adopt...
Come on, go and sleep! And no I'm not awake typing this--this is an illusion. *insert scary music and shaky, pixalated computer screen screen* hahaha..I'm ashamed sha, I don't know my blood type :(. Besides that, SHEESH! Like you said, we already have enough ish to worry about...you're talking 401K? I'm talking.."property in Aspen? St. Tropez? Yacht? Jet?" I'm saying, we gotta reach for the stars you know, so that even if we fall short...
L O L
Jezebel is sickle celled.. It's not cool..
Lol @ the science lesson u wan do here.
I am O.
azazel my son so u be olodo! smh! she said genotype not group!
im AA happily my bro is AS too
as far as people in yankee go most of them are AA the only reason we have a large number of AS in nigeria is because people with that genotype have a higher resistance to malaria therefore natural selection favors AS people in our parts :)
so next time u r interested in a yankee guy be rest assured that the likelihood of him being AS is very small
i'm AS..my mum used to give me the same advice. lol. weiirrd!!
since I've never gotten such talks I assume I'm AA.
ok let me try giving u guys some "edumacation" that i know
the reason why most people abroad dont know their genotype is cos ,sickle cell is mostly associated with people of coloured skins,
so it isnt really emphasized abroad as it is in Africa...
that said,
when an AS marries an AS ther is a 25% chance the chils will be a sickler, i think if ur lucky getting one child thats AA or As u should stop there.
then again,
if 2 AS want to marry
therE ARE WAYS OF GOING AROUND D SS ISSUE LIKE
1) GOING THE IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION WAY, where the womans eggs are fertilized with the mans sperm outside the womb , there the doc can ensure that an SS baby is not made, and d fertilized egg is put back ind womb,
OR
and a very big OR
u can test the genotype of abbaies now from i think a month in d womb(correct me if an wrong)
and if d baby is an SS u can jejely remove it
i know some people will turn their nose as this but, removing an SS child from the womb would save the child a lot of pain trust me i know,
sorry for the long comment
I'm with BBB, it might sound cold but IF one cannot handle a SS child, then I think abortion might be the best option for one. I don't think that genotype should be a deterrent with all the technology we have available BUT I am never going to have to face that choice since I am AA, so I don't blame anyone for the decisions they make.
Good post thanks for sharing.
LOL Let me gist you what my mom did. She went and she got the Genotype result thing that she has been keeping for God knows how long because that paper looked very old LOL! She gave each of us our results. Then she said 'Ok now don't say I didn't warn you o! Those of you that are AS better mind yourselves! Don't go and waste your love!'
Sickle Cell is a bad thing tho. BBB thank you for the information tho!
weldone OM, it's definitely necessary to "edumacate" ourselves on the genotype subject...I don't know of the theory that the AS syndrome is more of a "coloured people" thing, or that "natural selection favours AS people from our parts"...
Anyway, I'm AS, and very fortunate to have found a man who ticked all my boxes including being AA...
I think that b4 two AS pple get married, they really should give it some serious thot and consider all available options regarding children...I do have 2 AS friends who despite all warnings, got married and have a non-SS child...I'm not sure if that's final for them, but I say except ur faith is VERY strong, that really should be it...
I grew up in the States and my mother still made sure that we knew our blood type. It had a lot to do with the fact that she has three siblings who were anemic so she made sure that we knew our blood type and that we knew not to marry 'SS blood' as she calls it.
My blood type is 'O'. Yay me! LOL.
As for child birth, I dey fear am like no man's business! But I plan on adopting and carrying my own kiddies. Gotta get over the fear mehn!
As someone who has lost two friends in the past two years to SS, I am very pro adoption and knowing a man's GT before you make the big leap!!
Hahaha....serious matta!...it is very importankpa anyways sha
cant even remember at what age i knew mine....
got a friend who keeps meeting AS girls..its not funny..
u berra stop that adoption kini... :)
I am AS...
my sis is SS but her crisis isn't as bad as when she was younger. She takes good care of herself under my mother's watchful hawk-like eyes.
I am AA and all my sis are AA.
I have got an SS cuz and I know what is feels like.
So I wonder why some people who knowingly take that risk when they have the S gene. It is really traumatic. A friend also recently lost his SS siter and it was such a sad story.
BBB already made the correction I was gonna make, if AS marry AS there's a 25% chance each time you have a child that they'll be SS.
I'm AS and I have gotten the warning ever since I was 10. Difference is I am not 100% comfortable with adoption, I would like to have my own genes in a little one.
Wow I should probably edumacate myself more on this!
Lol @ your fear of child birth, you're so not alone. Mine is really really really irrational, therefore I'm all for adoption!
I'm AA......yaay me!!!
I'm also scared of childbirth but I don't mind going through with it
Babe daalu nnooo maka dis ur edumacation. You do well. Yes, GT is an African/cloured pple's disease. I knew when I was about to get married and we went to check for it, the doctors and nurses didn't know what we were talking about. We had to travel to Naija to get it done.
With great tech. in the West, one can freely marry any person that measures up. There are a lot of options available.
I had this same conversation days back and she was looking at me like a hater or sumth.......
im AA.yay!!!
im scared of pregnancy too..im not scared of the pain, no, no!!im scared of dying!!
anyway, im AA, but sha sha, i'd like to marry AA and not stress my kids.
call me selfish?
I'm AA, both of my parents are AS.
Luckily my other siblings are AS.
2 AS parents = 25% AA 50% AS 25% SS
1 AS 1 AA = 75% AA 25% AS
1 AA 1SS = 100% AS
1 AS 1 SS = 50% AS 50% SS
Thank you for the edumacation of the people, it's amazing how many ppl are not in the know about this matter.
I for one have an aunt with 2kids who are SS and the man still walked out on them saying he couldn't cope with 2 sick kids and trust me it is heart wrenching watching these beuatiful little ones during their "crisis"
Please, nobody shd be doin love nwantinti there and subject innocent kids to such hardship.
You know i'm with u on the fear of pregnancy, i'm searching for an open minded man oh, surrogacy is also an option biko.
yeah,it's 25% but the problem is that one can never be sure of the order in which the children will come.
mu good friend and her hubby both AS had a child, Gawd,i remember the anxiety when they went to ao the final test after the boy turned two
i vividly recall the relief when it came back AS..now she's preggers again and we're all deep in prayers..God will see her thru, i pray.
the test to determine in vitro is very expensive but it's available somewhere in Lagos.
thata malaria thing and AA people, it doesn't hold true with me o
Dem say my blood type is O. But honestly speaking, this finding mate thing is so hard. I mean if one is so inlove how do you just let them go because of blood type? Really?
BABY!!!
you can't be..lol!
we need to talk but honestly
this is one thing we all ignore
me inclusive..DANG!!!
thanks for sharing though!
Did you miss moi?
AS + AS gets AA as well but just one AA though :)
I was so miffed when I found out that Sickle cell is only associated with black people and some regions in Asia.
Na wa o!
We're all AA in our family so no fear there. I have a cousin though who has lost two of her brothers (the only 2 sons of the family) to SS.
mehn! No one should suffer like that.
Mehn, i know a family who lost 3 of their 6 childen to the SS.
Me i be AA sha, O+ve AA...Thanks for the edumacation babes...I katara ya akata!
a couple can be AS and AS and still have 10 kids all AA or AS, it's all about chances and this is genetics we're taking about.
Well, thank science for in-vitro fertilization
AA hurre..representin' all day, err'day!!
Yinks: LOL, continue am well my sister.
Gee: Lucky duck! You are definitely set.
Bagucci: I seriously doubt you are, from all that pidjin wey you don blow for us before.
meanwoos yeah being SS is definitely not an easy thing at all.
Myne Whit: Nna we thank God for tekinology ooo or adoption indeed.
Mocha: LMAO, that cracked me up. No be small shooting for the stars, I know right i need to up the game and start asking about properties in Aspen. Hahahaha
Azazel: I said AA, AS and SS not O. I don't think that O is a genotype, they got another name for that one.
Burramint: LMAo @ Olodo. That's funny, ahh very interesting stuff. I have heard that malaria thing before. I will definitely keep that in mind about Yankee guys.
Bonnie: LOL, I guess they are just extra worried 'bout us.
Naks: Go and investigate, ask ya mama. In fact that is your homework assignment.
BBB: Please, long comment ke? I should be thanking YOU for the insight that you just shed on this matter. Very informative indeed. Muchos gracias.
Omosi T: Lucky you on being AA, and I don't think that it's cold. Taking care of an SS child definitely requires patience and sacrifice and folk need to be cut out for that.
Ratti: You are quite welcome.
Lady X: Hahahahah your mother is a trip. Did the scare tactics work on you guys?
Just Doyin: Ahhh God definitely blessed you with a man who checked all your boxes, I'm saying it's hard enough meeting correct guys then you no gotta factor in the Genotype business. Discussions definitely have to be had if both couples as AS or AS/SS.
Odun Dun: How about your Genotype? You sabi that one? My sister we definitely gosta get over that fear o, e no easy.
Ms. O: I'm sorry about your losses, chei. Definitely gotta be pro- those factors.
Beulah: Definitely a very serious matter my sister.
Simeone: LOL @ your friend, and wetin do you and my adoption plans? loll
Chayoma: Awww, wow well we definitely thank God that her crises isn't that bad and that your mom is keeping a good eye on her. It shall be well.
Girl with Red Hair: Na so we see am, I can't question people's motives. Maybe they are so in love? *shrugs*
Taynement: Gotcha, yeah not everyone is down with that idea of not having their own chilluns.
Taymee: Yess ooo, get your edumacation on my dear. Yeah men, I look at mothers with so much respect like wow...especially the ones who have like 10 kids.
Rene: Yaaaay, abeg share the genes and find one AS bro to procreate with. Hehehe.
Beauty Goodone: So if it's colored people, then African Americans should know more about it abi? Wow, so you and hubby had to go all the way to Naija to research, that is interesting.
Thank God for Technology sha o.
My world: LOL, na so it be.
Leggy: LOL @ fear of dying, that is extreme. I don't think it's selfish o but abeg spread the genes naaaa. Hahahaha
Anon: That is quite interesting, I will need to ask my mom if any of my sibs are AA. I think we are all AS sha but thanks a lot for the break down, very enlightening.
Mizhif: wow that is so sad to hear, that their father walked out. DANG, that is cold!
My sister, darris ehnnn I really have mad respect for all mothers. It is nOT easy at all.
HisTreasure: Exactly! One is not too sure of the order in which the kids will come out. Wow, your friend is blessed, keep praying oo...it shall be well with the next one.
Nicey m my darling: My dear o, finding a man is not easy at all. Then we gotta think about blood type too. God dey o!
David boo: You know I did. *wink, wink*
Anon: Thanks o jare, I think me and my sibs are all AS but I will clarify with my mama.
Enkay: I know right! Why we gotta get all the yeye stuff? But that is terrible to hear about your cousin, that is just too much wahala abeg.
Aedeaa: Na wa o, that is just sad. My sister spread the genes abeg o jare. LOL, thanks. :-D
Iwalewa: Chances indeed, one can only hope to get lucky.
AnyaP: LOL, lucky woman. Hahahaha.
people, the importance of this 'edumacation' cannot be over emphasised...to be forewarned is to be forearmed
i have seen people, aged from 30 to 41, on their way to success die from sickle cell anaemia
BE WISE!!!
im AA!!
WOOP WOOP...my oga is AS!!
I REMEMBER THAT WAS THE FIRST SERIOUS DISCUSSION WE HAD!
My GenoType na "O"
AA here too :).
I actually forgot all about it until i read this post. I think we stress the whole genotype think a lot more in Naija. I've never heard anybody here talk about it.
But forreal sha man musto know the genotype b4 i even attempt to put a ring on it. Can't afford to bring fragile kids into this world if i can help it.
I'm AA. We've got our own issues, too - malaria, that is.
Okay now. Sickle cell ain't just a black/coloured thing. Some white people have it too. Fact. There's a third genotype. It's called SC. I know this how? I've got it. I'm so glad I wasn't aborted. Not judging others though, everyone must do what works best for them. I've had my share of pain, but I'm living life, and lovin' it.
The genotype thing is a big issue in Africa, not so much in the West. I'm fortunate to be AA but I have a cousin that is SS. Out of six children he is the only SS one. I hate hearing he is sick, it scares me even though he is in his late twenties now, we cannot take his life and health for granted. We all worry and pray whenever we hear he is ill. The disease also held him back in school, he had to miss school for long periods so he repeated some.
It's an awful thing I would never wish on anybody.
Please no matter how much you are "in love" if you and your partner are both AS, it is simply not worth the risk.
I am AS and to think i found out a couple of years ago when I went for a routine check. Yeah, the sickle cell thing no easy walahi, we had a few of them in my house and they have all passed away. Not what a parent should go through.
lol,dont even know my blood group
thank for the edumacsation lol
I know my blood type and I thi k every person of african descent should!
Our neigbours in Naija had 6 chldren, 2 were SS. Honestly, until you have experienced this disesase upclose and personal it is difficult to comprehend how devastating it can be. So My People save yourself and your unborn children the stress..do the right thing!
i am AS and Baale is AA, it was a key crietria for me as i have two SS cousins n i have witnessed their pain 1st hand...so omo no lon story fellow AS waka front.
this love thing may God help us.
i like ur plan though- adoption. win win!
love your blog for so many reasons...been a silent fan
AA in the house!!!
~x~
Hell yeah I am AS and I do ask every black guy I date theirs or to go get tested. I aint messing around. Meanwhile one of my favorite blogs is all about SS if you guys are interested http://sicklecellblog.blogspot.com/
She is honest about her crisis and dating and everything. She rocks.
Update sharpish! Wetin na?
That SS ish is not funny, I spent 6 years in a boarding school and I had a SS friend. She was outta school 90% of the school year and it is unbearable watching her crisis!
I do not think any 'love' is worth subjecting a child to that kind of pain.
if u decide to take a chance on marrying an individual wit genotype AS and u get preggers u cud test d G of ur child in ur womb to kno whether to abort or keep (controversial issue? anyways ur choice)sickle cell has no cure (research is still ongoing) and as for d bone marrow transplant thingy it is a dangerous procedure and doesnt offer cure for d majority of sufferes!(very lucky few)
and yeah d reason oyibos hardly know much abt AS and stuff is bcos sickle cell mostly affects africans,people of mediterranean decent, caribbean and southern americans therefore d oda oyibos are safe! (u try for ur explanation sha)
lol anyways i am a medical student, i tried not to use big terms but i just had to butt in here to comment am such an itk, as i saw your post my palms begin sweat and i entered doctor mode lol...........:)
JustJoxy - your post was refreshing. Don't know how I feel about people somewhat subconsciously bragging about being AA as if one has any control over it....and th ones who are SS are the "forgotten ones"... I've been personally affected by this disease, I'm glad to have known all the ppl with sickle cell (dead or alive). Despite their crisis episodes and frequent trips to the hospital, I think most of them are grateful for life and are thankful they were given a chance to experience life's little blessings amidst the agony of the disease. Not being judgmental at all, I'm all for prevention and I'm AS and will need to take that into consideration in the future.....I was just reading the comments and I put myself in the shoes of someone with sickle cell...I suddenly felt so isolated and my life seemed so worthless....*sigh*
Also - sickle cell anemia is to black folks as cystic fibrosis is to white people, they have their own too! The Jews too have their own (Tay-Sachs)....
Apart from these genotypes ie AA, AS and SS, there are other ones that are completely negleted and not spoken off i.e AC, SC, CC, AE,EE,SE etc, because these genotypes are rare most labs dont ve machines to test them and so group them as AA. So most of you shouting AA better go for a recheck cus it happened to me I thought I was AA untill a better lab told me I am AC
W̶̲̥̅̊h̶̲̥̅̊e̶̲̥̅̊я̲̣̣̥ǝ̍̍̍̍̊ in Nigeria can the genetic test of the unborn baby be done?
Am AA I meet a gal I want to marry.. We went and check it out both she is As.. I hope we are good to go coz she s my World.. No me without her.. Our blood group is both B+
Am AA I meet a gal I want to marry.. We went and check it out both she is As.. I hope we are good to go coz she s my World.. No me without her.. Our blood group is both B+
Ma people....I tire for this AS AS brouhaha. The heart break wen I just get reach to boil water drink tea ooo. My love for 5yrs who was AA when I met her suddenly became AS 2weeks before I proposed.
My people nor make mistake wen dem say Ignorance is Bliss..wetin man nor know nor dey kill am lol.
I am deeply troubled and heart battered...some one who is AA should please help!!!!!
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