First cousin marriage is advisable or not

Your mother's brother's daughter is your first cousin. The marriages taking place within the family is an age-old tradition. However, it comes with certain health-related risks. According to the study the children who are born by marriage between first cousins are at double risk of suffering from birth defects. Congenital abnormalities in kids will be common.

Usually, the risk of suffering from birth defects is low if the parents are not blood relatives. The same risk doubles when the parents marry within the family. Birth defects involving nervous system, lungs and cardiovascular system commonly take place and sometimes it can even lead to death. Kids are at high risk of suffering from Down's syndrome.

You and the girl share a common grandparent. It is a very common fact that both the boy and girl might inherit a recessive gene that is faulty. In such cases, the child is at high risk. When the marriage takes place outside the family, the risk decreases to a great extent. Those who share common ancestors are at high risk of carrying faulty recessive genes. If they marry and give birth to kids then such kids are at high risk of suffering from genetic disorders.

I would suggest that you and your cousin go for genetic screening before getting married. It may not be possible to identify faulty recessive genes that you two inherit but still, the problem can be solved to a great extent. Specialists record the health history of the family to know the health disorders that family has suffered from in the past. Cystic fibrosis screening, carrier screening is carried out. Haemoglobinopathy which includes recessive conditions such as sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia is carried out. Level of haemoglobin detects the carriers.

In short, since you are about to marry the girl with whom you share a close biological relationship, your kid is at high risk of suffering from the genetic disorder as both of you share the genes in greater proportion.

I know many people who married the first cousin and having a good life. My Sister married my mother's first cousin and both of them are very well. They have two children. Their daughter married my brother. They are also good and they have one daughter. She is very intelligent, healthy and beautiful. So we can't say it is a risk. However, in medical terms, it is believed that the chances of risks are more in this case than other marriages. Earlier days when medicine was not so well developed people used to give preference for going for this marriage. But now as there is a big boost to Knowledge, all these doubts are coming.
Since you have a doubt in your mind you and the girl can undergo genetic screening test. The experts in the field can tell you what are the required tests to be carried out.
Your grandmother and her grandmother are common, so there is a chance the blood groups of both of you may be the same. Hence you get it tested and if you both have the same blood group I sincerely advise not to go for the marriage and if it is different you can go ahead.

The subject of marrying with the first cousin is a controversial one. In many societies it is forbidden but in a few it is allowed.

The medical science has some reservations on this type of close relation marriages and it is suspected that some hereditary diseases can manifest in the offsprings. The risk of genetic disorder increases if the parents carry a harmful recessive mutation. So, people go for genetic screening and other tests before going for these types of marriages.

There are many cases where no such disease enhancement was seen in the offsprings but the problem is that if there is a doubt or apprehension people will have a fear to go for such marriages.

Near cousin marriage is a subject of social stigma. It is legally prohibited in some countries like China, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, Philippines and 24 out of the 50 states in US. It is also interesting to note that worldwide, more than 10% of marriages are between first or second cousins.

So, after assessment of all the factors and genetic screening only one has to take the risk of marrying in close relations.

Marrying in first cousin relation is forbidden in many societies as it is an ethical issue and in the modern medical science also it is understood that certain diseases which are genetic in nature can have their enhanced form in the offsprings produced through such close quarter marriages.

So, it is definitely a matter of concern and if necessary such steps are to be taken only after the medical check ups or hereditary counselling and investigations.

In some communities it is a common practice to marry with the first cousin but it is better to avoid it in order to protect the future generations from any suspected hereditary disorder.

Marriage with the close relations are not advisable because of likely chances of aggravation of certain genetic disorder though the close relationship marriage occur in South - India.
It has been biologically proved that disorders are due to the genetic effects and a number of diseases such as High - blood Pressure, Diabetes, Gout, Cancer etc are intensified with the close relationship.
Marriage is a permanent contract and the kids are the products because of intimate relationship and any blood disorder will affect them to an irreversible extent.
Hence it would be better to have complete screening of Blood in respect of genes for both of you. Such an analysis would indicate the level of intensity of dangers if it exists at all.