It may not answer all of your questions. We encourage you to discuss your concerns with a genetic counselor or with a knowledgeable doctor. Contact your local chapter of the March of Dimes for a listing of genetic counseling centers in your area. Before reading about heredity, understand that parents have no control over which genes they pass on to their children or receive from their parents. An inherited disorder is one that is passed on within families from one generation to the next.
Genes are like blueprints that direct the development and function of every cell in a person's body.
Genes and chromosomes exist in pairs. At the time of conception, one half of each gene pair is passed on to the child from each parent. The new gene pairs determine which features or traits the child inherits. Most inherited genes are normal. However, sometimes a gene changes from its original form.