How Can Sickle Cell Anemia Be Prevented?

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited condition. Children who inherit the genes for sickle cell anemia can’t prevent developing the condition, although they can take steps to reduce complications.

People who are in groups that are at high risk for sickle cell anemia and who are planning to have children may want to consider genetic counseling beforehand. A counselor can help you understand your risk of having a child with the condition and help explain the choices that are open to you. You can get information about genetic counseling from health departments, neighborhood health centers, medical centers, and clinics that care for people with sickle cell anemia.

A procedure called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis can improve the chance that two people with sickle cell trait will have a child with normal hemoglobin. Eggs from the mother and sperm from the father are mixed together in a laboratory dish. The eggs that become fertilized are checked for sickle cell anemia. Fertilized eggs that don’t have sickle cell genes are then implanted in the mother’s womb. This is a complex procedure done only in a few places, and it doesn’t always work.