Family history and medical records

McChubbin

I've often been asked the classic "Do you have a history of <insert illness/diease here> in the family?" question by my doctor and in all honesty, I have no idea how to answer this.
I know nothing about my biological family other than that my mother was diagnosed as deaf after a fall and it's possible I may have inherited it from her. It's unclear as to wheter she was born deaf and had gone diagnosed until she took a tumble or if the fall caused it in the first place...

I was wondering if it was at all possible to aquire the family medical history so I can finally answer my doctor's innoculous question with clarity. I'm not really pushed to actually meet my biological parents (Can of worms IMO) but I'm crawling the walls to find out if there's something in my genetic make-up that might cause problems somewhere down the road.

It's understandable, right? If there was a history of Breast Cancer in the family, for example, you'd want to know, right?

I just want piece of mind as not knowing can be very frightening.

The_Conductor

You can request 'non-identifying' information from the agency who originally placed you for adoption. This may contain rudimentary medical information (for example about your mother's deafness) but will not be detailed.

I don't know if you've completed the Adoption Authority's Contact Preference register- where you can specify the level of contact you would like with your birth mother/family. The application form for it is here.

Unfortunately adopted people have no legal rights to any information- medical or otherwise...... If the information you require is not in your file, and your birthmum declines to supply it to the agency- there is absolutely nothing you can do. Adoption and any information related to it (which would include medical history) is specifically excluded from the Freedom of Information Act. It is the unfortunate case that adopted people really are treated as second class citizens in this regard........

GeturGun

McChubbin wrote: »

I have no idea how to answer this.

That kind of thing bothers me as well. I used to just say no, but now I say "I don't know cos I was adopted"
It's the same in terms of applying for life cover, you are asked about family medical history, to which the only option to answer (now that it's mostly computer based) are 'yes' or 'no' so by stating 'no' you are technically not disclosing all the relevant information (etc etc)

McChubbin wrote: »

It's understandable, right? If there was a history of Breast Cancer in the family, for example, you'd want to know, right?

Yep, I have often thought about this

smccarrick wrote: »

It is the unfortunate case that adopted people really are treated as second class citizens in this regard........

Agreed!

McChubbin

smccarrick wrote: »

You can request 'non-identifying' information from the agency who originally placed you for adoption. This may contain rudimentary medical information (for example about your mother's deafness) but will not be detailed.

I don't know if you've completed the Adoption Authority's Contact Preference register- where you can specify the level of contact you would like with your birth mother/family. The application form for it is here.

Unfortunately adopted people have no legal rights to any information- medical or otherwise...... If the information you require is not in your file, and your birthmum declines to supply it to the agency- there is absolutely nothing you can do. Adoption and any information related to it (which would include medical history) is specifically excluded from the Freedom of Information Act. It is the unfortunate case that adopted people really are treated as second class citizens in this regard........

It's EXEMPT from the Freedom Of Information act?! WTF?!

Well, that's helpful. Thanks anyways for the link to the Contact Preference website.
Once I print that out, I'm going to try and see if I can obtain more information.
I'm not sure what agency was used but I was one of only 7 babies born in Holland Street hospital in April of 1988. if that's of any use.

I think I was told I was 7 weeks old when I was adopted but I'll need to check with my adoptive family for the full details.

kathy finn

hi, im afaid what shane said is true, freedom of information does not include us. that used to bother me big time when doctors would ask me my medical history and bothered me more when i had my own children and could,nt answer.
when i was doing my search for my birthmother i wrote away to the hospital i was born requesting my medical records and was told they where detroyed....my social worker told me their was very little medical information on my file and i suppose most of the girls who give up their babies are quite young but who is to say that medical problems won,t crop up in the future.
i found out a couple of years ago that my birthmothers 2 sisters both had breastcancer and died from it, but that now means that my 3 daughters have the information which might save their lives in the future....kathy

2qk4u

Its hard to deal with the blank that comes up every time you need to know your history. I tried to get medical history and was told after 20 years in storage medical history was destroyed. I passed all the exams and interviews and the medical to get into the prison service and was offered the job on condition that I produce medical history on operations I had as a baby, no history = no job, I was so pissed off at the time.

McChubbin

2qk4u wrote: »

Its hard to deal with the blank that comes up every time you need to know your history. I tried to get medical history and was told after 20 years in storage medical history was destroyed. I passed all the exams and interviews and the medical to get into the prison service and was offered the job on condition that I produce medical history on operations I had as a baby, no history = no job, I was so pissed off at the time.

I know the feeling. It's like having a huge blank void on your own personal history. I don't know if I'll ever need to produce medical records for a job but even without the history of my biological parents, I'd already be snookered for some of the stuff listed in my own personal file.

I just want to find piece of mind and be on the look out for any nasty genetic surprises that might cause trouble further down the line or be passed to any children I might have in the future.

tyview

I was actually thinking about this whole medical history thing myself recently. I was going to write to the hospital but i was told I'd need id. How can I get ID in my birth name?? its just madness.... why we are surprised by this, in this country, I don't know. :rolleyes:

Ostrom

I needed my history on short notice a few years ago and the agency worker contacted my birth mother to request an update. It was probably easier for me due to the fact that there had been some correspondance between her and the agency before, but you could always ask?

kathy finn

tyview wrote: »

I was actually thinking about this whole medical history thing myself recently. I was going to write to the hospital but i was told I'd need id. How can I get ID in my birth name?? its just madness.... why we are surprised by this, in this country, I don't know. :rolleyes:

get ur original birthcert and apply useing ur birthname

McChubbin

kathy finn wrote: »

Get your original birth cert and apply using your birthname

I had to go to the National Regiestry Office in Tara Street to request my birth cert when I was renewing my passport two years ago. It mentioned nothing about the name my birth mother had given me-and this was my LONG birth cert which had to be transfered from a place in Roscommon that deals with adoptees.

Y'think I might be able to find my birth name if I contact them again?
Or is there some sort of census I can refer to?

The_Conductor

McChubbin wrote: »

I had to go to the National Regiestry Office in Tara Street to request my birth cert when I was renewing my passport two years ago. It mentioned nothing about the name my birth mother had given me-and this was my LONG birth cert which had to be transfered from a place in Roscommon that deals with adoptees.

Y'think I might be able to find my birth name if I contact them again?
Or is there some sort of census I can refer to?

First of all- the General Registers Office on Lombard Street no longer has a research room- it has moved to their new premises in the Irish Life Centre on Talbot Street.

You can request the records for a particular year there- and follow the steps as laid out in the trace guide to research your own original birth certificate.

Link to the various trace guides are here.

There is *no* section in the General Registers Office that deals specifically with adopted people. There is a register of adopted people- from which a longform birth cert can be generated- however- it will have all the details of your adoptive parents, and your adoptive details- not your original name, or that of your birthmum.

You can contact them- however official policy is to discourage adopted people from searching for their birthparents. You will not get any assistance from them in searching for your original birthcert- and if you mention it to them, its likely they will deny requests to forward copies of certificates to you on confidentiality grounds.

The 'census' that you refer to is most probably the 'adopted children's register'. It is useful for a birthparents when they are searching for a child (or children) they may have given up for adoption- but it is of no use whatsoever for going in the opposite direction- you need to patiently go through the birth registers for the year in which you were born, following the instructions in the traceguide.

Best wishes,

Shane