Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Planning a family when you carry a RET fault | CION Cancer Clinics
Yes, you can have children if you carry a RET fault. Each child has a one in two chance of inheriting it, and a child who does can be tested early and protected with timely checks and surgery. This page covers the safety checks a carrier mother needs before pregnancy, the options couples have, from testing the baby to testing embryos, and what Indian law allows. At CION Cancer Clinics, our oncologists explain what a gene result means for you and your family, and plan the checks that follow.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Can I have children if I carry a RET fault?
- What choices do couples with a RET fault have?
- What should happen before and after a pregnancy?
- What do the family planning terms mean?
- How does testing the baby compare with testing embryos?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Four things couples tell us, and what is actually true
- Common questions about RET and having children
The short answer
Can I have children if I carry a RET fault?
Yes. Many RET carriers have children, and those children can be tested early and protected with timely checks and surgery. Each child has a one in two chance of inheriting the fault. You have real choices about how to approach that, and none of them is the wrong one.
Why RET is different from many cancer genes
For most inherited cancer genes, a child's test waits until adult life. RET is one of the few where early testing genuinely helps. Knowing soon after birth means thyroid checks, and surgery if needed, happen at the right time. That changes how many couples weigh their options.
What a pregnancy needs if the mother is the carrier
A woman with a RET fault should have an adrenal tumour ruled out before trying to conceive. An undiscovered adrenal tumour can cause dangerous blood pressure swings in pregnancy and at delivery. If her thyroid has been removed, her thyroid tablet dose also needs checking early in pregnancy.
If the father is the carrier, the pregnancy itself needs no extra RET checks.Your options
What choices do couples with a RET fault have?
These options are listed in no order of preference. All of them depend on the family's exact RET fault being known first.
Conceive naturally, test the baby early
The most common choice. The baby's blood is tested for the family fault in infancy, and checks or surgery are planned from the result.
Suits couples who
- Prefer to avoid fertility treatment
- Feel confident in early checks and surgery
Test during pregnancy
A sample from the placenta or the fluid around the baby is tested for the family fault. It is regulated, done only in registered centres, and offered case by case.
IVF with testing of embryos
Embryos made through IVF are tested, and one without the fault is placed in the womb. It avoids a decision during pregnancy.
Worth knowing
- It is costly and needs several clinic visits
- Not every cycle produces a suitable embryo
Donor egg or sperm, or adoption
Some couples use donor cells from the partner who does not carry the fault, or choose adoption. Both remove the chance of passing it on.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistPlanning ahead
What should happen before and after a pregnancy?
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Confirm the exact family fault
Testing a baby, a pregnancy or embryos is only possible when the precise RET change is known. If only a relative was tested, get a copy of that report.
-
Meet a genetic counsellor together
Both partners should attend. The counsellor explains the options, the costs and what each one involves, without steering you.
-
Health checks for a carrier mother
Blood or urine tests to rule out an adrenal tumour, plus calcium and thyroid tablet checks where relevant. These are best done before conception.
-
Tell the obstetric team early
Your obstetrician should know you carry a RET fault, and which codon. It affects planning for the delivery and any anaesthetic.
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Test the baby at the agreed time
For the highest-risk codon, testing is done within the first weeks of life. For others, it is still done early, before checks would begin.
Words you will hear
What do the family planning terms mean?
- Dominant inheritance
- One faulty copy is enough to raise risk. Each child of a carrier has a one in two chance of inheriting it.
- Carrier
- Someone who has the fault. A RET carrier needs checks and usually thyroid surgery, even without cancer.
- CVS
- Chorionic villus sampling. A small sample of the placenta taken early in pregnancy for testing.
- Amniocentesis
- A sample of the fluid around the baby, taken a little later in pregnancy for the same purpose.
- PGT-M
- Testing of IVF embryos for one known family fault before an embryo is placed in the womb.
- De novo
- A fault that appeared new in one person, not inherited from either parent. It can still pass to their children.
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Side by side
How does testing the baby compare with testing embryos?
Natural conception, test the baby
IVF with embryo testing
No fertility treatment needed
Needs IVF, with its own injections and procedures
A one in two chance the baby carries the fault
The embryo placed has been tested clear
A carrier baby needs checks and usually surgery
A confirming test in pregnancy may still be offered
Costs are the baby's test and any later care
Costs are much higher and often not covered
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you which option is right for your family. That depends on your codon, your health, your beliefs and your budget. A counsellor can lay out the choices, but the decision is yours, and changing your mind later is allowed.
It cannot interpret your result
What your specific variant means is a question for the counsellor who ordered the test. The codon decides how early a baby would need testing and checks, so the plan for one family can look very different from another's.
Who this does not apply to
This page is for couples where one partner has a confirmed germline RET fault. If RET was found only in a tumour, nothing is passed on to children. If you are unsure which kind of result you have, ask before making any family plans around it.
Indian law allows embryo testing for a known inherited condition in registered clinics. Choosing a baby's sex is illegal in every situation.Commonly believed
Four things couples tell us, and what is actually true
"Our first child has it, so the next one will not."
Each pregnancy is a fresh one in two chance. What happened before does not change the odds for the next child.
"It came from the father's side, so only sons are at risk."
RET passes to sons and daughters equally, from either parent. A daughter is just as likely to inherit it as a son.
"A carrier should not have children at all."
That is a personal choice, not a medical rule. Children who inherit RET can be tested early and protected with planned checks and surgery.
"We must hide it from the other family before the wedding."
Disclosure is your decision. A partner who knows can support early testing of your children, which is where most of the benefit lies. A counsellor can help you plan the conversation.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about RET and having children
What is the chance my baby will inherit the RET fault?
One in two, in every pregnancy, whether the carrier is the mother or the father. Sons and daughters are equally likely to inherit it. A child who does not inherit it cannot pass it on and needs no RET checks.
When should our baby be tested?
It depends on the family's codon. For the highest-risk fault, testing is done within the first weeks of life, because surgery may be needed within the first year. For other codons, testing is still done early in childhood, before any checks would start.
Is pregnancy safe for a woman who carries RET?
For most women, yes, with planning. The key step is ruling out an adrenal tumour before conception or early in pregnancy. Women whose thyroid has been removed need their tablet dose checked, and calcium watched if the parathyroid glands were affected by surgery.
Is embryo testing available in Hyderabad?
Several fertility centres in Hyderabad offer IVF with embryo testing for a known family fault. It needs the exact RET change to be confirmed first. Ask the centre how they test for your specific variant and how long the preparation takes before treatment starts.
Is embryo testing covered by insurance or government schemes?
Usually not. IVF and embryo testing are mostly paid for privately. Costs vary widely between centres and with the number of cycles needed. Ask for a written estimate that includes the embryo testing, not just the IVF.
Can we test during pregnancy instead?
Sometimes. Testing a sample from the placenta or the fluid around the baby is possible once the family fault is known. Prenatal testing is tightly regulated in India and offered case by case, so discuss it with your counsellor well before a pregnancy.
My partner's family does not know about our RET result. Should they?
That is your decision. It does not affect your partner's relatives, because the fault is on your side. It does matter to your own brothers, sisters and parents, who may carry it. A counsellor can help you decide who to tell and how.
Who can we talk to about this in Telugu?
Genetic counselling can be arranged in Telugu, and both partners are welcome in the room. Bring the RET report, any earlier thyroid or adrenal results, and a list of questions. Call the CION helpline if you are unsure where to start.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's oncologists. Bring your family history or genetic report to them.
Our medical oncologists see people with a strong family history of cancer, arrange genetic counselling and testing where it fits, and plan the checks that follow.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
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Sources
- GeneReviews (NCBI) — Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2
- American Thyroid Association (Thyroid journal) — Revised American Thyroid Association Guidelines for the Management of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma
- National Cancer Institute — Genetics of Endocrine and Neuroendocrine Neoplasias (PDQ)
- MedlinePlus Genetics — Multiple endocrine neoplasia
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Testing a newborn or toddler for RETWhen and how a baby is tested for the family faultRET codon and risk levelWhy your exact variant decides how early checks beginTesting the family for RETBringing brothers, sisters and parents into testingSurveillance for RET carriersThe checks a carrier keeps up, including before pregnancy
Talk to us
Planning a pregnancy and not sure where to start?
Tell us the family's RET result and your plans. We will arrange genetic counselling for both partners and the checks a carrier mother needs before pregnancy. One helpline serves every CION centre.