For those who have children.

[hairyfairy]

I`m wondering if anyone on this site wishes that they`d known their apoe4 status before they had children. I wish that they`d had these genetic tests available when I was a teenager, then there would have been no way that I`d have become pregnant at 17 & have to live with the guilt of possibly passing on such a terrible risk.

[NF52]

I`m wondering if anyone on this site wishes that they`d known their apoe4 status before they had children. I wish that they`d had these genetic tests available when I was a teenager, then there would have been no way that I`d have become pregnant at 17 & have to live with the guilt of possibly passing on such a terrible risk.

As parents, we all live with the risks that simply having a child involves, and yet people have made the choice to have children even in times of far more immediate danger than your child will have. As someone with ApoE 4/4, I have had a wonderful life, a marriage that will soon reach 40 years, three unique and amazing children, all of whom are independent adults, and a career in which I could help children with special needs. I would not have passed up the opportunity to have children as a part of that life. All of them, like you are ApoE 3/4. In addition to a slightly higher risk of Alzheimer's disease (about 20-25% at the current level of prevention knowledge, compared to 10-15% for people with no ApoE 4,) they are likely to live well into their 80's, like their grandparents. I fully expect that within 10 years that Alzheimer's as we know it will be a thing of the past for most people--in the same way that dying of a stroke at 45, at my grandmother did, is a thing of the past.
What you see as a "terrible" risk may be a risk no higher than their risk of cancer or heart disease. Trust that your child will have a life that is full of many reasons to be happy, and to be grateful to you for the gift of life.

[rrmolo]

Life is an adventure. We cannot control what is coming our way. Think of those living in Europe during WWII. Our task is not to control but to weather the storm as best we can. How to do that? By trying to stay knowledgeable, practicing what we learn is helpful and relying on a power greater then ours. We all have our challenges and struggles...that is what makes us human...and this personal battle allows us to ultimately find our reward both here and in the Spirit world.

[Nords]

We started our family 20 years before we did 23andMe testing (for me, my spouse, and our daughter). At the time, our daughter was concerned that she might be susceptible to the breast cancer which killed my mother. Our daughter doesn't have the BRCA genes, and 23andMe also (belatedly) confirmed that I'm the only APOE4/4 in the family.

But even more interestingly, we discovered that I'm a carrier of cystic fibrosis-- and that I'd passed it on to my daughter. My spouse and I really wish we'd known our CF carrier status before starting a family.

Of course our daughter subjected her fiancé to 23andMe and discussed the results before they married. I'm told that there are no genetic concerns about starting a family with him.

[hairyfairy]

The trouble with the apoe4 gene is that it serves no purpose apart from increasing risk of various diseases, not just alzheimers, but heart disease and long term damage from concussion. It has no place in the gene pool.

[Anna]

I'm glad that I did not know my ApoE status (4/4) before having children a couple decades ago, or I might have avoided passing my genes on. When I got my results, almost two years ago, I was horrified to learn at that same moment that my children must carry at least one copy. I felt so guilty! But after doing quite a bit of research, I came to the conclusion that with just one copy, lifestyle is far more predictive of cognitive decline than that single copy. So, knowing what I know now, I don't think I would have passed on motherhood, but I might have considered genetic testing/counseling with my spouse to avoid having a 4/4 child. Also, keep in mind, ApoE4 is just one of many possible "bad" genes. And this "bad" gene is actually the ancestral gene that can be viewed more as a mismatch with modern life than an actual defect. I know it's hard, but please try to keep this in perspective. My parents, who each by definition have at least one e4 copy, are each close to 80 and are doing well.

[Fiver]

I get it. But I'd like to think that by the time our kids are old enough for it to be a problem they will be able to simply pop out the apoe4 gene and insert a nice apoe2 or 3. They'll probably be genetically changing their eye colors just to match their outfits at that point. And that will raise a whole new set of problems (which will be handled by our AI android overloads, no doubt). In terms of LOAD, I'm less worried about generations forty years down the road than I am for the generations in between for whom good options might not come in time (or maybe that's just a selfish perspective of a mid-life E4 carrier).

[Brainz]

Nobody gets out alive. I’d hardly call a well-lived ApoE4 life a waste, even if it ends in AD at 50, 60, or 70, or later. That’s an incredible time to make a difference.

Although there’s an understandable, apparent bias on this forum (of incredibly bright people) towards wanting to live as long as possible (and avoid AD), most everything is a trade-off. I remember my Grandmother talking about how lonely and depressing it was to have outlived her husband and all her friends... She was in her late 80s at the time.

30% of the population is an ApoE4 carrier — you’ll be forgiven for ignoring the implications of your genetic offspring 60+ years hence.

And as others have already said, I remain optimistic that this is a manageable condition, be it with diet and lifestyle choices, or some newfangled technology.



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[Stavia]

Nobody gets out alive. I’d hardly call a well-lived ApoE4 life a waste, even if it ends in AD at 50, 60, or 70, or later. That’s an incredible time to make a difference.

Although there’s an understandable, apparent bias on this forum (of incredibly bright people) towards wanting to live as long as possible (and avoid AD), most everything is a trade-off. I remember my Grandmother talking about how lonely and depressing it was to have outlived her husband and all her friends... She was in her late 80s at the time.

30% of the population is an ApoE4 carrier — you’ll be forgiven for ignoring the implications of your genetic offspring 60+ years hence.

And as others have already said, I remain optimistic that this is a manageable condition, be it with diet and lifestyle choices, or some newfangled technology.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Nobody gets out alive. I’d hardly call a well-lived ApoE4 life a waste, even if it ends in AD at 50, 60, or 70, or later. That’s an incredible time to make a difference.

Although there’s an understandable, apparent bias on this forum (of incredibly bright people) towards wanting to live as long as possible (and avoid AD), most everything is a trade-off. I remember my Grandmother talking about how lonely and depressing it was to have outlived her husband and all her friends... She was in her late 80s at the time.

30% of the population is an ApoE4 carrier — you’ll be forgiven for ignoring the implications of your genetic offspring 60+ years hence.

And as others have already said, I remain optimistic that this is a manageable condition, be it with diet and lifestyle choices, or some newfangled technology.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Brainz I am completely on your page. I don't personally feel a drive to have good health to a very old age. If I can push out getting AD to my late 70s or 80s I will feel very lucky (I am a 4/4 with a very strong family history).
I personally am focussed on living my life now and trying to make a difference in the world with my life. For instance if I have a choice between spending my energy towards nuturing and guiding my medical team to take it forward into the future; or spending my energy towards getting another 5 or 10 years personal gain - I chose the former.
I'm not silly about preventitive strategies - its just not the focus of my day anymore.
And I dont fret about my 3/4 sons.
Thank you for being so honest.

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[mike]

The trouble with the apoe4 gene is that it serves no purpose apart from increasing risk of various diseases, not just alzheimers, but heart disease and long term damage from concussion. It has no place in the gene pool.

If it did not provide any benefit, then most likely it would no longer be in our DNA. ApoE3 came out around 220,000 years ago, and has overrun ApoE4 for the most part, but there are pockets where ApoE4 is more common. Why? I personally think it gives better ability to survive periods of famine. I have no proof, but would make an interesting research topic. One area where E4 is more common is northern Europe - a much harder environment for early man where the winters were harsher than now.