The Conditions Under Which I Would Risk Making a Woman Pregnant

This is almost a moot subject because I will soon be 47 and I am getting older. But I’ve learned over the years that no intercourse between a fertile man and a fertile woman is guaranteed to avoid pregnancy. All forms of birth control can fail. I have suffered greatly with this illness and even a 10% risk of my offspring getting this terrible disease is too high for me. So I have decided not to risk it. Here’s what would make me change my mind:

  1. Find a way to make sure that the first drug that is given to a person with schizophrenia is the right one.
  2. Deal with side effects like weight gain and diabetes effectively
  3. Make the vocational opportunities for people with schizophrenia better than most of us have it
  4. Work as hard on a cure as you are working on the next blockbuster drug
    There was a lawsuit where 3 families sued a sperm bank because a donor had schizophrenia and while I respect those of you who have had children I really can’t blame those families because this disease is horrible and society in my country only allows the majority of us to survive rather than thrive. Thank you.
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I really do get you.

I saw that sperm scandal. He supplied sperm for more than 30 families. Only those sued though.

I do not know how to react to this. Maybe the sperm bank had no way of knowing that the donor had sz, we are not living in the perfect world, no sperm of ours is perfect, would they sue if the donor had been a genius with sz, who knows?

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I see, I had not seen that news before.

A GP literally said the following to my wife “You knew your now husband had ADHD before you met him and you married him anyway? AND had children!”. Little did he know that she also has ADHD AND BPD, so he got what he deserved. :slight_smile:

The moral of my story is we are all human beings and we all have a right to live like one.

I too understand the trepidation regarding the probability of passing on SZ to your child, but at the end of the day ALL life is precious.

Completely mature and intelligent list of conditions though. I will do my part in dedicating my brain power into SZ research. I promise. And I long, long ago learnt not to make promises because of my ADHD, but this one - this one, I will keep.

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And new meds are being developed, my aunt had sz but my cousin does not have, but who is to say that his children won’t have it some day?

Yeah I don’t like the idea that a person with schizophrenia should not have kids. Even if our children develop it. I want children and I don’t think my schizoaffective is an impediment.

The case here is that the guy lied in his application, people, the parents in this case that are sueing, just don’t know how to handle it.

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I don’t want children, but I never have. It was like a sixth sense always telling me something was wrong with the idea.

I have a cousin in Sweden who has sz, but his parents and siblings do not have it, but my aunt in Sweden has sz, maybe we should go gambling in Las Vegas …

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Yeah I don’t like the idea that a person with schizophrenia should not have kids. Even if our children develop it.

Hey, I disagree with Minnii on something. How’d that happen? :smile:

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Good Cosmos! Someone fix this!!!

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My cousin in Sweden served his military service in the Swedish paratroopers but then later he started hearing voices ‘enemy, enemy’ and so on, he visited me long time ago and was looking for ‘Free will’, I have not heard from him for longer time …

This is a topic of inherent controversy, obviously, but despite making my stance clear already I feel chatty so I’m going to ramble on some more …

You may have one of the most challenging mental illnesses known - and you full well have experienced the depths of the challenges first hand - but in making the stance that you do not want to have children of your own you are demonstrating a level of altruism that most neurotypicals will never even get remotely close to touching. THIS in itself is a quality that would give more than just hope to your children, but facilitate an upbringing that is richer than the vast majority of the normie kids out there get.

Also, being an expert on identifying the signs yourself, I am absolutely certain that your (anyone reading) child would benefit from early intervention measures and experience an extremely fulfilling life.

Opinionated rant over.

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So-called normal people who think people with MI and other differences should not have children are eugenicists.

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I plan to have children of my own, the first will be tried for starting next year

But I can understand not wanting to pass on the SZ to your child. I am not a very religious person, but I do believe that the only thing you can do sometimes is pray and have faith.

Thing is I may have gotten it from my bio dad, but since he died without getting an actual diagnosis (I don’t count a consult with an online ‘doctor’ as a diagnosis) I will never really know.

What I do know is I scheduled a fertility consult last year for Monday, and they fricken canceled it on me! and the next opening isn’t until December! I need this test because of a med they put me on the first time I was in the hospital that has been linked to sterility in men…

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Case in point: @radmedtech

Just boik until you have a baby or December comes around. Either way you’ll have your answer. :slight_smile:

As for me I don’t think I’d want children. Sza or not.

You are quite admirable. Your ethics are above and beyond. My ex husband is sz and never wanted children because of that reason. We were on the same page with that. I did NOT have a mental illness but felt no maternal instinct whatsoever and wanted to focus on my work. Hence, no children.

I’ve always held that faith is belief in the unknowable, and stops being faith when we’ve advanced far enough for it to be knowable. An important distinction is that it’s not about an individual’s ability to know, ignorance doesn’t magically make something faith.

Because there’s no way to test or know ahead of time, we just have faith that they will have a good life, independent of mental or physical illness.