A
female
age
41-50,
*hilini
writes:I was married to my first cousin 5 month ago….now I want be a mother. But I have herd that the baby born for relatives are born with physical or mental problem. Please help me.
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female
reader, k_c100  +, writes (10 January 2011):
 This website should help: http://www.hgc.gov.uk/Client/Content.asp?ContentId=741
But just to summarise their key points:
- the overall risk to first cousins having children rises to about six in every 100 births, i.e. double the risk in the general population. The great majority of pregnancies do not result in abnormalities.
- there is a potential health risk arising from recessive genetic disorders (basically families often carry certain genes that are defective and when two people of the same family have the same defective genes it comes out fully in the child. If you had a child with a non-carrier outside of your family then the defective gene would remain dormant and never show itself - hence why they are deemed recessive disorders - they are hidden until two carriers come together and have children).
- Overall the health risks to the child when first cousins are the parents are around the same as the health risks that come with increased maternal age (an older woman having children, which medically they put at 35+).
So yes there are definitely health risks, generally double the risk compared to non-family members aged under 35. However it is still around 6 in every 100 births, which is is not a huge statistic. But when you think it is DOUBLE the risk compared to non-family members, you do still need to take it seriously.
What I do suggest is you visit your doctor and speak to them about Genetic Counselling (see here for more info - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_counseling)
Hopefully your doctor will be able to point you towards a service in your local area where they can look at your family history, see if there are any genetic diseases in your family history and then calculate the risks for you both to have children together. This really is the best way to make sure you are not going to end up having children who are very ill and who will have a poor quality of life.
So have a little read on the web and do your research, try and think to any illnesses you remember your parents or grandparents having - and then pay a visit to your doctor.
I hope this helps and good luck!
A
male
reader, ivanichiaynus +, writes (10 January 2011):
 Your information is way out of date and you will have no problems.
The incidence of birth defects for people in your position is no greater than for the rest of the population, current research indicates, so just treat yourselves as any other couple.
Ivan.
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (10 January 2011): You can not know your future. Even when 2 people are not relatives, can have a baby with problems. Again 2 relatives may have a perfectly normal baby. And when we (health professionals) say 2 relatives may have baby with problems, we mean a baby will have risk (not as a must) of developing some specific (but not all) disorders if it is present in their family. Those disorders are Thalassemia, haemophilia, schizophrenia, affective psychosis etc. If your and your husband's family don't have those , then risk of your baby is same as a baby born to a non-relative couple. That is , being relatives won't affect anything. If there is history of such disease then i suggest you go to a doctor for further advice and undergo some tests. . . And don't worry. . . Hope this helped you and wish you to have a perfectly normal child. . .
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A
female
reader, cat lady  +, writes (10 January 2011):
 Sometimes there are problems and sometimes not. Have you done a Google search about this? There would be many articles available from doctors and researchers. Just type 'first cousins marriage' in the search bar or anything similar and you'll get enough to keep you busy for weeks.
A lot depends upon your family history - any hereditary illnesses or genetic weakness? Did you two get thorough blood work done when you got married? People have been doing this sort of thing for centuries, even millennia, so apparently it can be managed by some. Is this your maternal first cousin or paternal? Maternal might be a little more risky because it is a direct bloodline. Whatever you decide, a consultation with your medical practitioner is a must.
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A
male
reader, cupid_1234 +, writes (10 January 2011):
 You should ask a doctor. You didn't think about this before your marriage?
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A
male
reader, anonymous, writes (10 January 2011): The risk is relatively small. I seem to remember about 4% greater than non-related couples having a baby? Many Royal families marry cousins or have done in the past so I would not worry too much. Good luck.
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