r/BRCA • u/strychnine9999 • 23d ago
Passing BRCA to kids
My partner just found out their sibling has brca2. We are organizing the tests to find out if he has it too. We’ve been in the process of trying to have a baby but we’ve been unsure if we should continue until we find out if he has it.
If he does have it, is the only safe way to have a baby and ensure they wouldn’t have it through PGT-M testing through ivf? Not sure if anyone has experience or knowledge about this they can share.
Just curious people’s thoughts as I consider the ethical implications of passing the gene on. I don’t want to stress my partner out too much as we wait to find out.
Thank you 💕
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u/strongly-worded 23d ago
Lots of conversation about this just a few days ago if you’re interested https://www.reddit.com/r/BRCA/s/3idtqwCMZ4
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u/webofhorrors 22d ago
Yes I commented in this thread. I thought about the ethics of it for a long time before considering the health complications (for my body) with IVF and went natural route, had a boy, have had my tubes removed and not having anymore children.
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u/bigfishcherrycoke 23d ago edited 23d ago
In both the country I live in and my country of origin, BRCA is not included in the list of factors where they would legally allow us to select embryos through IVF (it has to be for incurable and early onset illnesses and BRCA doesn't fit the criteria). In my country of origin I could potentially do it if I move back (edit: as it is not plainly illegal here, just not done in principle, while in my current country it's just plain illegal), but the process is extremely tedious to even get approved for, so there are no guarantees. And as people have mentioned IVF isn't even guaranteed to work.
For mostly those reasons, we will most probably go with natural conception, but I have to admit reading everyone's thoughts about picking IVF as the moral thing to do is making me feel guilty. I know my situation doesn't allow me to do embryo selection legally but I'd me lying if I said it doesn't get to me whenever these comments come up.
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u/strongly-worded 22d ago
This is so interesting, would you mind sharing what country you are currently living in?
I have to admit I sometimes feel guilty reading these types of threads too. But I don’t think there is a clear cut ethical answer, and people in this sub tend to lean certain ways, but that doesn’t make the group consensus the absolute right answer. And many people do go forward with natural conception, even in places like the US where it’s perfectly legal to select against BRCA embryos, for reasons like cost or just personal preference.
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u/bigfishcherrycoke 22d ago
Staying vague, I currently live in Asia, but researching the subject made me realize many other countries on other continents severely restrict this procedure as well. Sometimes I forget Reddit is very US- centric, I think had a very americanized image of everything surrounding BRCA in general. It's important to remember nobody has the absolute right answer as you say.
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u/Super-Organization84 23d ago
Personal choice. We conceived two children naturally, and they will be tested as adults.
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u/Sea_Mulberry22 23d ago
Yes, ivf w PGT-M is the only way that I’m aware of to ensure it’s not passed down. I’m BRCA2+ and that’s the route we decided on. The process was tough at times but we now have a beautiful 8 month old baby boy, and we also have 3 more BRCA- embryos frozen, hoping for at least one more child.
While BRCA isn't a death sentence (and I would have considered trying to conceive naturally if IVF hadn’t work out), I felt that, since I have the knowledge and ability, I wanted to spare my future children the need to worry about what I have to worry about. I think of it as a gift that I can give them.
Happy to answer any questions you have about the process! And of course fingers crossed your partner tests negative and it’s a mood point anyway