Analytical expressions for the sampling variance of the estimates of genetic (co)variance from pedigree analyses have been around for over 50 years [17], [26], and statistical power can be derived from these by using the sampling variance and population value of the parameter. However, these expressions are typically for specific structured pedigrees, such as fullsib or halfsib families or twin pairs. There are to our knowledge no simple approximations for general pedigrees, because the inverse of the variance-covariance matrix is required and this is conditional on the actual pedigree structure. The sampling variance of the estimated parameters in a general complex pedigree is usually derived post hoc after the analysis has been performed.
