Are clefts genetic??

[Dana J.]

Hi all!

I am new here & if possible wanted to ask y'all a question. I have a stepson that was born w/ a severe cleft lip/cleft palate. I am scared to death to have a child w/ my husband b/c I am worried he will throw another child with this defect.

Can clefts be genetic in nature? I was told they were, but my husband denies it. BUT ... he is the type of man that would never admit clefts were genetic in nature b/c if he admitted it, it would make him less than perfect.

Also, as a side note, can other defects be found in conjunction with clefts? My stepson also had been diagnosed w/ 2 different mental disorders as well.

Thanks for any help!

[pkett2]

Welcome Dana!

I wouldn't let that stop you from having a child with your husband. It can be a genetic thing & it can be something that just happens. I have four children, my three oldest are healthy with no problems. My last child was born with a incomplete unilateral cleft lip. We don't know why he was born like that. I was told that children with other disorders can have clefts too. But alot of children with clefts are completely healthy otherwise. If it is genetic, it could have easily been on the mothers side too . I don't blame your husband for feeling the way he does. No one wants to be the blame for their child's birth defect. Having a baby with him could be a wonderful thing. A cleft is fixable and the children look wonderful. Do you have other children?

[Dana J.]

Hello!

No, we do not have any children.

He says the cleft was the result of his X having some type of illness during her pregnancy. I think he said she had German measles? She also broke out in herpes virus all over her legs & arms right after the birth. Could these be contributing factors?

If clefts were simple dominant then it could be something only the mother could carry. But we know they aren't simple dominants, so clefts would have to be a recessive then I assume? If this is so, wouldn't both he & she have to carry the genes for it to show?

Sorry so many questions, I am just trying to learn a bit here.

Thanks!

[pkett2]

Wow, It sounds like her illness could have easily caused problems. Clefts happen in the early weeks of pregnancy. It's basically the folds of the face don't connect properly. So many things can cause it. That's why it's so hard to pin point. Again having clefts are such a minor thing. All the parents here will tell you that having their child is a blessing!!!! It's not something so serious not to consider having a child. There are some things you can do to try to prevent defects. Talk with you Dr. start taking prenatal vitamins before you even start trying. Folic Acid helps prevent clefts. Don't smoke or drink either. Clefts happen before we even know we are pregnant sometimes. Most of us here have other children without clefts, so you would think that it's not just a genetic thing. I hope I've helped a little.

[Dana J.]

Amazing.

I'm sure as a parent your child will be to you beautiful no matter what. And I know the clefts can be fixed - I even dated a guy once who had a cleft lip repaired as a child. You could hardly notice it, although he himself was quite self-conscious of it.

I guess what worries me most is the mental defects the child has & the mental toll it took on his mother. She never was the same after his birth. But I guess it would be traumatic. First baby & they were expecting the baby to be perfect. Everyone says after she saw him born like that she never was the same. And he himself, well, I shan't get into that.

No offense to anyone here, but I guess it scares me to think I could end up like she did or have baby a born w/ the defects he has.

So it could be possible that her illness was indeed the cause of his clefts &/or mental problems?

Thanks again!

[pkett2]

Okay I understand more now where you are coming from. Babies with clefts don't have mental disorders too. But babies with other disorders can have clefts also. You might, for your peace of mind. Have you and your husband go for genetic testing to see if you or him might be a carrier of something more serious.

no offense taken. I was devastated when the U/S told us our perfect baby was going to be born with a cleft. I blamed myself for awhile thinking I did something wrong. I look back, I don't know what I was worried about. Everything works out. My son gets his surgery done March 22. Before he was born I couldn't wait for him to get it done, so he would look normal. Now, It seems like that date is coming to soon.

[Dana J.]

What you are saying makes sense.

I may have been looking at it the wrong way. I have been a dog breeder for the past 10 years & often it is found that a puppy (or any other animal) w/ a physical defect is often defective in other areas too.

So perhaps that's why my stepson's cleft coupled w/ his mental defects scared me so badly. I was thinking clefts can = mental problems, not mental defects can = clefts.

I thank you for all your help. You have been of great assistance!

[gc0447]

For: "Dana J.":

Hello. My name is Georgette Couvall (Dr. Salyer's patient: http://www.worldcf.org). How are you? Here is my Personal Story link:

http://www.worldcf.org/support_groups.cfm (Craniofacial anomalies)

I'm from Illinois. If you don't mind me asking, where are you from? Just wondered. Welcome to Smiles (http://www.cleft.org). I want to let you know that there are two other Cleft websites that also have Message Boards. You might want to introduce yourself and say hello to them as well:

Cleft Advocate (http://www.cleftadvocate.org)
Craniology (http://www.craniology.org)

I wish the best for you and your family and happy 2007.

Sincerely,

Georgette Couvall

[jacksmom]

Dana, I agree with April, that you and your husband should go for genetic counseling, and then make you decision from there. I think you are very smart to want to be educated on the subject. My six month old was born with a bil cleft palate, and while I wouldn't trade him for the world, I also have to admit that he has taken a lot more time and attention than I expected, and his medical bills have been a bit of a strain on our budget! But he is a precious little boy, and one day all of this will be a distant memory! Good luck with your decision, and maybe your stepson's cleft was just caused by an illness!
Allison

[sodapop]

Hello, my name is Maria. I have a 4 1/2 month old daughter named Vada. She was born with severe unilateral cleft lip and complete cleft palate. We found out at the 19 week ultrasound and I, like you was afraid of any other defects but the more you research you will find that is not generally the case and the more you know the better you will feel. It is also something that is not known to be carried in either of our families and my doctor felt it must be associated with something enviromental or otherwise. There are definetly some serious defects that can cause or be associated with cleft lip/palate. But in the end, you have to consider that anytime you conceive you take a chance that something may be less than perfect with your child. But as a potential mother, you also have to ask yourself if you would love that child any less. I went through a lot of emotions when finding out about my daughter but, in the end, she is the perfect baby for me and my husband and even if she had some other associated syndrome i wouldn't have chosen to not have her. They asked if i wanted to do genetic testing at about 3 months. But i asked myself if i would actually want to know because no matter what she was born out of love and she is perfect for me:) There are a lot of things to think of. But do your research and you will be fine.
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l221/ ... 006010.jpg

Maria