Guilt for passing on bald gene?

[Cincinnati Kid]

I realize that something like 95 percent of men will experience some form of hair loss in their lifetime, but for those of us who began young -- teens to twenties -- would you feel guilty if you had sons and passed on the gene to them? Judging by the fact that there really doesn't seem to be a long-term solution to the problem anywhere in the near future, would you ultimately feel guilty for being responsible for your son(s) balding? I know it's not our fault that we inherited the gene, but passing the buck along to my heirs would make me feel like total crap. The moment I learned I was balding was a complete out-of-body experience for me, and it was comparable to when I lost my virginity only on the completely opposite end of the spectrum. I know what it feels like to lose my hair at a young age, and it's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy let alone a family member.

 

[aero1976]

My grandfathers, 2 great grandfathers that I know of, my father and brother have no loss what so ever. I do. I get why you are unhappy about it, but to not have children because of it?

 

[kpat]

I'm going to adopt, but I would feel as guilty for passing it down as any other of my negative qualities. I wouldn't feel as bad as if I passed down some of my mental illness, though.

 

[Notcoolanymore]

If I had a son and passed this crap on to him, I would feel like garbage. With that being said if my son or even my younger brother started losing their hair, I would give them the information they needed to fight it. Yes, today's treatments aren't the greatest, but they are at least something. When I started losing my hair I didn't know what to do. My doctor didn't know a damn thing either.

 

[frenchy]

This gene is transmited by the mother. I think its the androgenic receptor which is coded by the X chromosome which you get from your mom

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

This gene is transmited by the mother. I think its the androgenic receptor which is coded by the X chromosome which you get from your mom

No it's not Frenchy... do some research next time so you won't look as dumb. The gene can be passed by either the mother or the father. Even if the false information you're stating were true, what if you had a daughter and she had a son? Think about that one.

 

[frenchy]

No it's not Frenchy... do some research next time so you won't look as dumb. The gene can be passed by either the mother or the father. Even if the false information you're stating were true, what if you had a daughter and she had a son? Think about that one.

what i have read might be wrong, but next time you share you point of view do some research about good manners so you won't look like as douch

 

[wrwr]

I heard, now it is possible to select a "good" gene combination without certain features for you children.
Of course, it involves in vitro fertilisation, expensive tests and a lot of work. But you may have children free from baldness.

The only problem is our knowledge about genes are very limited still, so it is not impossible to pass much worse things. Heart malfunctions, for example.

 

[frenchy]

I heard, now it is possible to select a "good" gene combination without certain features for you children.
Of course, it involves in vitro fertilisation, expensive tests and a lot of work. But you may have children free from baldness.

The only problem is our knowledge about genes are very limited still, so it is not impossible to pass much worse things. Heart malfunctions, for example.

sounds like a first step to "Gattaca"^^

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

I heard, now it is possible to select a "good" gene combination without certain features for you children.
Of course, it involves in vitro fertilisation, expensive tests and a lot of work. But you may have children free from baldness.

The only problem is our knowledge about genes are very limited still, so it is not impossible to pass much worse things. Heart malfunctions, for example.

Hitler would have had a lot of fun with that technology. I don't like the idea of playing God -- or Allah, or Buddha, or Tom Cruise, or whoever you believe in or don't believe in for that matter -- when it comes to having children. Sure keeping your children from getting things like genes for breast cancer, enlarged hearts, or other physically harmful ailments would be nice, but you know some parents would go a little too far and say things like, "Well, since you're already in there changing stuff, we want a girl with red hair, blue eyes, that's very tall, and has an incredibly high IQ." That's when something like you're suggesting has the possibility of going too far.

 

[2bald2young]

Looking at my father and my mother it was certain that I would go bald in my early teens ( 14 year old). They don't seem to mind my unhappines because of their crapy genes. Baldness is not the only bad gene that gave me. Ow I forgot to mention that I hate them.

 

[aero1976]

Looking at my father and my mother it was certain that I would go bald in my early teens ( 14 year old). They don't seem to mind my unhappines because of their crapy genes. Baldness is not the only bad gene that gave me. Ow I forgot to mention that I hate them.

Someday you will quit being so superficial and cease hating them.

 

[2bald2young]

Someday you will quit being so superficial and cease hating them.

First I wrote a comment where I gently wrote why I didn't like it that you called me superficial and that people like you are actually also very superficial. But ow well in the end it is no use. I understand your comment though and I use the wrong words and don't hate them but my mind really blames them (no need to explain that too, no one cares anyway lol).

 

[aero1976]

I really can't judge people on the internet as I don't know them. I just thought it was an extreme thought to be so hard on your parents. To not have children because of hairless would make you lose out on sooooo much. I am sure your parents feel that way, and I am happy you don't hate them

 

[Saurabhaj]

I have studied various disease transmitted from chromosome that may be autosome or sex chromosome,mugged up about 50 diseases for chromosome no 1 to chromosome no 23,still there was no fccng reference of Androgenic alopecia gene on that,medical field don't give damn to hairloss,it is useless disease to world for curing,i had a list of new drugs about 500 new drugs,but no mention of hairloss.

There is a drug called Mecasermine that can be used in growth failure,who is not growing in height due to growth hormone deficiency,

No one cares about hairloss,premature baldness should be made an Importantan disease and
and should be covered under "Orphan drugs act" that works to force pharma companies and medical field to work for disease that may not be commercially useful but they need to do it forcefully.

Premature baldies should force WHO to make premature baldness a orphan disease,as it is very rare,atleast in India,i can see only two or three baldies in a large group of 1000 pre pg graduates,wherever i go.

 

[Anonymous99]

Think about this everyday, I'm 16 and struggling with severe male pattern baldness, and I definetely would feel guilty if I pass it onto my son. Hopefully they'd actually f*cking develop some type of cute since its almost been 20 years since the last fda approved treatment, ffs still pondering if there will ever be a cure

 

[lionheart]

I've suffered from BDD (body dysmorphic disorder) before my hair loss was a major problem so I know how awful it is to go through as we all do.
Aswell as hairloss it focuses around my weight (like anorexia) and my facial features/skin.. It contributed to me being clinically depressed and has often left me suicidal. At my worse I selfishly loathed and blamed my dad for how I felt.. thankfully I never shared these thoughts outloud to him because I can only imagine how he'd feel knowing he was partly to blame because of how his genes affected mine and my hair.

Personally I'm not all that interested in having kids.. I'm 24 and the thought hasn't really excited me. But suffering with depression and anxiety has somewhat swayed my decision to not want kids because without sounding like the world is against me and I hate everything/one - the world we live in is an awful one and I'll be dammed if anyone can guarantee a child the perfect life that they should have. Maybe, and i sorta do hope my thoughts on this change

I guess it all comes down to you being comfortable with your hair (which we aren't) and bringing up a child to accept his or her flaws.. or bring them up to not even recognise them as a flaw in the first place which would be an ideal and perfect situation

 

[wilson2]

What you guy should keep in mind is hairloss genes can be a bit more complicated than some think. Plenty of girls are carrying genes which can result in their offspring being bald. So it's kind of ridiculous to feel "guilty" about having kids because you have bad hair genes. Unless every balding guy agree's to get castrated were not going to be able to work it out of the human gene pool. Even then it would probably be impossible due to girls carrying genes, environmental factors, mutagens etc.

 

[Kian1810]

My dad has been amazing for me, give me the baldness gene and also the red-green color blindness gene :whistle:

 

[Xin]

It's more complicated than just X or Y gene. I read online that maybe 50% of males have it?