What happens if you have a child with your first cousin?

Contrary to widely held beliefs and longstanding taboos in America, first cousins can have children together without a great risk of birth defects or genetic disease, scientists are reporting today. They say there is no biological reason to discourage cousins from marrying.

Does cousin marriage affect fertility?

Results of the review of published literature showed higher fertility among women in the first-cousin unions compared to those married to non-relatives.

Does marriage between first cousins lead to birth defects?

Photograph: Christopher Thomond. Marriage between first cousins doubles the risk of children being born with birth defects, according to a study seeking answers to the higher than expected rates of deaths and congenital abnormalities in the babies of the Pakistani community.

What are the risks of having a baby with a cousin?

Marriage between first cousins doubles risk of birth defects, say researchers. The researchers also found a doubling of the risk in the babies of white British women who were over the age of 34. That increased risk, rising from 2\% to 4\%, is already known.

Does marriage between first cousins increase birth defects in Pakistan?

Marriage between first cousins doubles the risk of children being born with birth defects, according to a study seeking answers to the higher than expected rates of deaths and congenital abnormalities in the babies of the Pakistani community.

Why is cousin marriage not more common in the west?

Because of that, cousin marriages started interchangeably being used with inbreeding or incest and therefore became less common in the west. The same beliefs were not pushed in parts of South Asia and the Middle East, where Islam was the predominant religion and only restricted marriages to the third degree.