Since 1987, a screening for β Thalassemia in pregnant women is carried on in northern Israel, and from 1999 all the samples were tested also for Hgb S, Hgb C, Hgb D, Hgb O Arab and others.

In this study, the investigators intend to summarize the results of this preventive program aiming to detect couples at risk for having offspring with Thalassemia or SCA, the compliance regard to genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis and the incidence of new affected babies born.

Inclusion Criteria: All pregnant women tested and their husband in those cases that the woman test revealed abnormal hemoglobin.

Exclusion Criteria: No exclusion criteria.

The program for prevention of hemoglobinopathies in Northern Israel, instituted since 1987, covered the northern part of Israel, including the Jezreel valley, the Nazareth area, the upper Galilee, the Hula valley and the northern part of the seashore region7. The overall population in this region is about a million inhabitants with about 50 % of Arab population, and a significant percentage of them from Bedouin origin, a population that at least partially is of African origin.