science

The type of muscular dystrophy we are dealing with is x-linked. This means that if we have a boy (50% chance), there is then another 50% chance that he would have the "bad x." So overall, a 25% chance each time we conceive that the child will have muscular dystrophy. If you have a girl, if she gets the "bad x," instead of actually having muscular dystrophy, she will be a carrier. Essentially, since girls have two x's, the "good x" can cover for the "bad x." So, except in very limited (and much more complicated) circumstances, only boys have muscular dystrophy and girls just have to deal with being carriers.

There are options, roughly the following: No kids, adoption, donor eggs, sperm sorting (gives you a 90% chance of having a girl and thus avoid having the disease manifested), IVF with pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), or just go for it and pray/keep your fingers crossed.

We are going the IVF with PGD route (I'll let wikipedia fill you in on the details regarding this technology). When faced with the idea that you might not be able to have your own kids, it's hard to explain how desperate you feel, and how quickly you feel that way. Initially, I was so scared of the IVF process that I didn't consider it an option. It still scares me. A lot. But we're doing it anyway because that is what you do when you want something this badly.