Do you have to be born with sickle cell anemia?

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited blood disorder that is passed down from parents to their children. In order to have sickle cell anemia, a person must inherit two copies of the sickle cell gene, one from each parent. If a person only inherits one copy of the sickle cell gene, they are said to have sickle cell trait. Sickle cell trait does not cause any symptoms or health problems, but it can be passed on to children.