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ADD geneticist %: How likely would it be that my offspring have the disorder?

So my boyfriend's dad is ADHD, so is his little brother and he is ADD; what is the chance that our offspring would be ADHD or ADD? I have absolutely no predisposition to the disorder.

PS: (Extra info. in case it affects anything.) My boyfriend's mother had him when she was 36 and his little brother when she was 41. And both his mom and his dad's mom are heavy drinkers. I don't drink and I plan to have children between 28-32 years of age.

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    This is difficult to estimate. ADHD is thought to be a genetic or inheritable condition, but there are likely several genes that contribute. Therefore it is difficult to estimate the incidence of ADHD in the offspring. A family history of ADHD does slightly increase the risk of having children with ADHD in the offspring, but this does not definitely mean that it will occur. The prevalence of ADHD in the general population is up to 18% in some studies, which suggests that it is very common even without a family history. Actually having a parents with substance abuse issues or other mental illnesses (e.g. Bipolar disorder) has been shown to increase the incidence of ADHD. Anyways, I would estimate that your offspring's risk of ADHD is similar to the general population and I would not let this factor into your decision to have children with this man.

    Source(s): Physician
  • 1 decade ago

    Most experts agree that while ADHD is a "genetic disorder," there are many environmental factors that affect how it manifests and how severe the symptoms can be.

    It is not 100% that your boyfriend even carries the gene. His brother obviously does, but it could be recessive in your boyfriend, or not even present. Basically, if you don't carry a recessive gene for it, you're looking at a 25% chance your kid will be ADHD.

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