Does every cousin marriage result in a higher-risk pregnancy?
Last reviewed:
Direct answer
Higher risk is not the same as a guaranteed affected child. Most children of first-cousin couples are not born with a major birth defect, but the cited review describes a higher population-level probability than for unrelated couples.
Not every family has the same individual risk. A known inherited condition, both partners carrying the same recessive variant or repeated related marriages can change the assessment. A genetic counsellor can interpret family history and appropriate tests; a general percentage cannot replace that assessment.
Sources used
Consanguineous marriages: Preconception consultation in primary health care settings
Journal of Community Genetics
Review published online in November 2011, July 2012 issue. Gives approximate population-level excess birth-defect risks; individual risks require family history and clinical counselling.Source checked:
View sourceGenetic counseling and screening of consanguineous couples and their offspring practice resource: Focused Revision
Journal of Genetic Counseling
2021 NSGC expert practice resource and focused revision, not an evidence-based clinical practice guideline or a Pakistan prevalence study.Source checked:
View source