As with many allergies, your tendency towards developing hay fever may be dormant for years before the condition gets 'switched on' and you start to get troubled by the symptoms. This usually happens after coming into contact with a high concentration of pollen or spores. You will probably not have hay fever for life. Research shows that people's hay fever symptoms tend to be at their worst during their mid-twenties. By the time they reach their mid-forties it is no longer a problem in many people.
Allergies do tend to run in families.
However, a child doesn't always develop the same allergies as his or her parent. Even though you have hay fever it doesn't guarantee that your child will. Babies born a couple of months before the hay fever season starts, or during the season itself, have a greater chance of developing hay fever.