Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold has called for greater awareness about sickle cell and genotype compatibility, stressing the importance of knowing a potential partner’s genotype before marriage and having children.
Speaking on the One54 Africa Podcast, the singer said couples should take genotype compatibility seriously when making decisions about marriage, particularly because of the potential risk of passing sickle cell disease to their children.
Adekunle Gold, who is married to fellow singer Simi, said people living with sickle cell should carefully consider the implications of having children, given the possibility of their offspring inheriting the condition.
“There is so much awareness that needs to be done. If you have sickle cell, forget about love, you can’t do it because it makes no sense. You are about to bring a child into the world and they are about to be sickly, it makes no sense,” he said.
The singer also revealed that genotype compatibility was one of the first things he and Simi established when they met.
According to him, they checked their genotypes before their relationship progressed, noting that Simi’s genotype is AA.
“I wouldn’t have married my wife if she was SS. When we met, the first thing we did was know our genotype and we matched. So she is AA,” he said.
Medical experts generally recommend that couples know their haemoglobin genotype and understand their reproductive risks before having children. Genotype compatibility, however, is a medical consideration that is best discussed with a qualified healthcare professional rather than treated as a simple measure of whether two people should or should not marry.
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