I know that it is legal to marry a third cousin, but I would like to know if it is safe. Are there are any dangers in having a sexual relationship with a third cousin?

Lenny

There are no hazards to having a sexual relationship between consenting adults who happen to be third cousins. But if you're asking whether your children might be at risk for congenital abnormalities, the answer to that is probably yes.

Consanguinity -- close relatives having children -- can result in an increased risk of certain genetic conditions that would require two copies of abnormal or defective genes to have an abnormal offspring. The likelihood that you and a third cousin share these abnormal genes would generally be considered low. But I would strongly recommend that you consider a visit to a genetic counselor to review your family history to determine whether in fact, there is a family history of any conditions that might result in an increased risk of abnormal offspring.