Struggling with a moral dilemma - I really want to have kids eventually, but I also have OCD. Even though my experience of the condition has been mild, I still wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, and I would feel really bad if a child inherited it from me. I think this might be reassurance-seeking, but I can't tell. If it is, I'm sorry.

My mom struggled with it when she was younger and now I have it. She’s been able to help me and understand me on a different level. Don’t let ocd stop you from living your best life and if you do have kids and they have ocd, you’ll be able to get him/her the proper support and treatment.

I agree with the previous comment. My dad has had OCD his whole life and I'm thankful we have each other. Kids can development any potentially difficult condition, too, it's just something that comes with having them. No one is to blame for it.

I felt the same way for a while but now I have a three month old and I don't feel bad about bringing life into the world - the pros outweigh the cons. My daughter may develop OCD at some point, but at least I'll know what to do about it. You may have children who don't have the disorder, but you won't know unless you have them. Honestly no one knows what kind of illnesses their children might have, it's always a gamble. What matters is that you are there for them through whatever struggles they face. Don't let OCD rip away your dreams of having your own family!

I have a kid and just wondered about this today for the first time. I think ocd is wildly underdiagnosed. If your kid does have ocd, you may be able to recognize it earlier and respond to it better than a lot of parents do. My daughter is a bright ray of sunlight in my life and many others’. Wouldn’t have done it differently even if I had known I had OCD before. Not a reason not to have kids! I also have ocd and to my knowledge, no one else in my family has it. So 🤷🏻‍♀️.

I have this exact fear; I’ve always imagined having kids in the future, but I’m terrified of passing down my genes with this. Most of my family has some form of mental illness, so I really don’t know, it’s just really sad

Thanks you guys, I appreciate your thoughts on this <3