Q10 of Q&A

A: Trisomy 13 can occur regardless of maternal/paternal age. The mean maternal age is actually quite young, less than 31 years of age as reported in a respected medical textbook. By available statistics, there is only a very small 1% change in incidence of this kind of thing happening when theoretically comparing 30-year-old parents to 40-year-old parents, for example. So a 30-year-old is almost as likely as a 40-year-old to give birth to a trisomy 13 child. Many seem to falsely presume otherwise, perhaps due in part to misinterpreting what some medical literature says about this. (Read the literature carefully, and also with reference to its date of publication.) One of our friends expressed how our personal experience in giving birth to a trisomy 13 child has scared her somewhat in terms of thinking about becoming pregnant in her mid or late thirties. If you have such a worry please get information and reassurance by speaking to a geneticist knowledgeable in the latest research about such chromosomal defects. I don't have the figures immediately at hand as I write this, but as I recall from discussion with a geneticist, a 30-year-old has about a 97.5% chance of something like this not happening, and a 40-year-old has about a 96.5% chance of it not happening -- not much difference at all and still pretty good odds. (I'll check and update these figures later if necessary.) The point is, it is a rare occurrence regardless of whether you're 30 or 40. Friends -- have your kids!


				*For Friends of Katya Maria Sansalone* *Q10 of Q&A*



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		Q: What about maternal/paternal age as a factor?



		A: Trisomy 13 can occur regardless of maternal/paternal age. The mean maternal age is actually quite young, less than 31 years of age as reported in a respected medical textbook. By available statistics, there is only a very small 1% change in incidence of this kind of thing happening when theoretically comparing 30-year-old parents to 40-year-old parents, for example. So a 30-year-old is almost as likely as a 40-year-old to give birth to a trisomy 13 child. Many seem to falsely presume otherwise, perhaps due in part to misinterpreting what some medical literature says about this. (Read the literature carefully, and also with reference to its date of publication.) One of our friends expressed how our personal experience in giving birth to a trisomy 13 child has scared her somewhat in terms of thinking about becoming pregnant in her mid or late thirties. If you have such a worry please get information and reassurance by speaking to a geneticist knowledgeable in the latest research about such chromosomal defects. I don't have the figures immediately at hand as I write this, but as I recall from discussion with a geneticist, a 30-year-old has about a 97.5% chance of something like this not happening, and a 40-year-old has about a 96.5% chance of it not happening -- not much difference at all and still pretty good odds. (I'll check and update these figures later if necessary.) The point is, it is a rare occurrence regardless of whether you're 30 or 40. Friends -- have your kids!



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