‘Teen Mom’: What to Know About VCLAD, Cheyenne Floyd’s Daughter’s Genetic Disorder

Teen Mom OG star Cheyenne Floyd is currently pregnant with her second child. On Tuesday night’s episode, Floyd opened up about how she and her boyfriend, Zach Davis, are undergoing genetic testing to see whether their child will have the same VCLAD disorder that her daughter, Ryder, deals with. This episode may have led you to wonder what VCLAD is. Read on to find out everything you need to know about Floyd’s daughter’s genetic disorder.

VCLAD deficiency stands for very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase. As Floyd said in the most recent episode of Teen Mom OG, the disorder means that the body can’t process certain fats into energy. According to the National Institutes of Health, there are three different types of the disease, “a severe, early-onset form; a hepatic (liver) or hypoketotic hypoglycemic form; and a later-onset episodic myopathic form.” Floyd discovered that her daughter, whom she shares with her ex, Cory Wharton, had the illness shortly after she was born. Floyd and Wharton later founded their own nonprofit, Rage Regardless Ry, to spread awareness about the disease.

Back in October 2018, Floyd opened up about starting this nonprofit and Ryder’s condition to Us Weekly, telling the publication, “It’s really rare and I knew nothing about it up until I had her. It’s a huge part of our lives, and we’re opening that up to the viewers as well.” Wharton also spoke out about their daughter’s condition, which has led to Ryder being admitted to the hospital multiple times, in December 2017 to Us Weekly. At the time, he explained how he and Floyd had to navigate Ryder’s disease when she was younger.

“She can’t process fatty foods into energy,” the Challenge star told the outlet. “When she was a newborn, Cheyenne would have to wake up every two hours and feed Ryder. With the condition, she has no side effects, but we still monitor it. She has to take medicine, she sees a specialist.” Considering what they have gone through with Ryder, Floyd and Davis went through testing to see whether their impending arrival would have a similar condition to the reality star’s firstborn. While they were eager to get their test results back, they mentioned that there was a delay in receiving them, which only led to more stress for the couple. The current season of Teen Mom OG is set to come to an end on April 13. So, it stands to reason that Floyd and Davis could share more updates about their child soon. Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.