Club foot and genetics

Hi everyone,

I was born with a club foot, which was surgically corrected and now is only a cosmetic and convenience issue.  No one else in my family has this, at least not in the last 3 generations.  If anyone did before that, I don't know about it.  

My wife and I are thinking about having children very soon.  She does not have a club foot, nor does anyone in her family.  My questions are: Is there any reasonable way of estimating the probability that our child will be born with it, and is there any way to increase the chances that he or she will not be?  We both live very healthy lifestyles, and she take pre-natal supplements.  I don't really know what else would be helpful, but maybe there are some other vitamins or supplements known to counteract this particular birth defect?

Thanks in advance.

TC

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Majority of children born with club foot do not have a positive family history. While the risk in general population is about 0.1%; with a positive family history the risk may increase to 1-2%. Though the precise risk in an individual can’t be calculated, with a healthy lifestyle one can expect to be at the lower end of the spectrum.
Hope the information is helpful.

Take care!

[HillRepeater]

Wow, thank you.  1-2% is a much lower chance than I was expecting.  I really appreciate your time.