https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 10 Apr 2026 18:13:55 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-baby-with-3-biological-parents#post-1243537 Tue, 26 Nov 2013 09:15:32 +0000 Alivoo01 1243537@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Fascinating how science and technology can allow something like this to happen now!! Always makes me curious what could possibly next! I'm interested to see this come to fruitation and have a baby be born! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-baby-with-3-biological-parents#post-1243311 Tue, 26 Nov 2013 04:58:47 +0000 Grace 1243311@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sarac: Agreed. And besides, I imagine the mitochondrial donors wouldn't have parental rights. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-baby-with-3-biological-parents#post-1243279 Tue, 26 Nov 2013 02:34:05 +0000 sunny 1243279@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It sounds interesting and like @MrsMccarthy: said, if it can lead to healthier outcomes I think it's worth exploring. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-baby-with-3-biological-parents#post-1243227 Tue, 26 Nov 2013 00:36:31 +0000 sarac 1243227@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Honestly, this is not that complicated, from a technological stand point. It's also far less genetic engineering-y than people are probably thinking. It's a great advancement for people with mitochondria related diseases. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-baby-with-3-biological-parents#post-1243211 Mon, 25 Nov 2013 23:46:50 +0000 plantains 1243211@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>A bit too Gattaca for me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-baby-with-3-biological-parents#post-1243154 Mon, 25 Nov 2013 23:06:10 +0000 MrsMccarthy 1243154@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Totally supportive of this! Anything that can lead to healthier babies and help people conceive without fear of passing in something so degenerative. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-baby-with-3-biological-parents#post-1243140 Mon, 25 Nov 2013 22:56:48 +0000 MsMini 1243140@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think it is a great idea! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-baby-with-3-biological-parents#post-1243135 Mon, 25 Nov 2013 22:50:13 +0000 Radish 1243135@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Very interesting. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-baby-with-3-biological-parents#post-1243034 Mon, 25 Nov 2013 21:45:51 +0000 MrsKoala 1243034@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think it's pretty cool! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-baby-with-3-biological-parents#post-1242703 Mon, 25 Nov 2013 18:35:16 +0000 MamaMoose 1242703@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yeah this seems a like too science fictiony to me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-baby-with-3-biological-parents#post-1242671 Mon, 25 Nov 2013 18:14:08 +0000 Mrs.Someone 1242671@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Interesting! A few years ago I would've thought this was a bit nuts, but being in the trenches of IF, I totally get doing whatever it takes to have a biological child. Thanks for sharing :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-baby-with-3-biological-parents#post-1242617 Mon, 25 Nov 2013 17:37:17 +0000 Kemma 1242617@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have to be honest and say this just feels like one step too far for me... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/a-baby-with-3-biological-parents#post-1242584 Mon, 25 Nov 2013 17:20:03 +0000 marionberry 1242584@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Sorry Mr. Bee, wasn't sure exactly where to put this one. Maybe you can move it if you find a good spot? I work in healthcare and this is an article that was emailed to me while I was out on maternity leave. It's an interesting idea with many people probably for and against it. I don't want to talk about my opinions, I just thought I would share the information, as I hadn't noticed it on here. I believe there are a few mothers especially on IVF boards who might be interested to hear about this. My apologies if someone else has already shared this article.</p> <p>Three parents and a disease-free baby: The upside of having three genetic parents</p> <p>October 02, 2013</p> <p>The U.K. government will allow scientists to create babies using DNA from three different parents—a positive development, according to some researchers, for parents with mitochondrial diseases. </p> <p>The controversial procedure—also called mitochondrial replacement—is possible through in vitro fertilization (IVF). Mitochondrial diseases like muscular dystrophy affect about one in 5,000 people worldwide, so only a very small group of people would be interested in such a procedure, Virginia Hughes writes in Popular Science. The procedure would "be performed at a few select clinics in the U.K. and will be carefully monitored...[a]nd if not safe, it will most likely be banned."</p> <p>Should insurers require counseling for genetic testing?</p> <p>Still, some scientists warn that the procedure may carry safety risks and bioethicists say the availability of such a procedure to the public could be "a step toward designer babies and eugenics," Hughes writes.</p> <p>How it works<br /> Each person has a nuclear genome—which takes half of its DNA from your mom and half from your dad. But each person also has a mitochondrial genome, which has its own DNA but doesn't affect your appearance or personality traits like nuclear genomes do. Mitochondrial genomes also are inherited entirely from your female parent. </p> <p>Is Mom to blame? Gene 'loophole' may explain why women outlive men</p> <p>In the mitochondrial replacement IVF method, scientists take an egg from a female donor, remove its nuclear DNA, and leave behind the egg's mitochondria. Then, they add it to the female parent's nuclear DNA and the father's genetic material. </p> <p>Hughes concludes that although "reproductive technologies have the potential to create biological problems, they're far more likely to prevent them," adding that the world should not "let our fears get in the way of medical progress" (Hughes, Popular Science, 9/30). </p>