What Causes a Birth Defect?

It's not something that any expectant parent wants to hear: their child could be born with a birth defect. These birth defects are caused by things that happen during the development of the fetus and can affect your child's mental or physical health.

Testing for prenatal and newborns can be utilized by a health care provider to diagnose certain birth defects during pregnancy. Other birth defects can only be detected after the birth of your child, or after symptoms begin to appear.

What Caused Your Child's Defect?

Many birth defects are not known. There are some things that could increase the likelihood of a woman having a child with a fridley birth Defect Lawsuit defect. Some of these include using certain medications or taking certain drugs before becoming pregnant or having a family history of birth defects, or having certain medical conditions such as rheumatic disease. Women with a history of these disorders should talk to an expert in genetic counseling about their options prior to becoming pregnant.

The degree of birth defect in a baby is dependent on the body part affected and how much is affected. The more severe the defect then the more severe the problem will be.

The majority of birth defects are caused by genes or environment during fetal development. The risk of having birth defects can be reduced by learning about your family's history of health and genetic issues or talking to an expert in genetic counseling and following prenatal guidelines.

Structural defects are pacific birth defect lawsuit imperfections that affect how the body looks or performs. They may be visible, such as cleft lips and cleft palettes. They can also be invisible, like chromosome conditions or metabolic disorders. Genetically-inherited conditions can be a type of birth defects with structural causes. Environmental factors, like the lack of folic acids, can cause neural tube defects that cause the development of the spinal cord and brain not functioning properly.

Gather More Evidence than You Think You Can.

There are a number of medical procedures pregnant women can undergo to determine potential jefferson birth defect law firm defects. One of these is amniocentesis which involves a medical professional taking a small amount of fetal fluid to test. This procedure can reveal chromosomal abnormalities, as well other health conditions like infections (such as Zika or rubella) or genetic anomalies.

A doctor may also examine the blood of a fetus amniotic fluid, fetal blood and the tissues of its umbilical cord for indications of birth defects. These tests are crucial to determining the causes of birth defects. They also help determine the severity of birth defect and its impact on a child's future.

Certain birth defects may not be detected until after the birth of a baby or, in rare cases even as an adult. These problems aren't visible prior to their onset and can be detected through diagnostic equipment. For these kinds of cases, it is crucial that the medical expert witness in question is familiar with these technologies and has the correct knowledge to spot thesand physical issues. Scientists have in some cases connected the birth defects' causes in mothers' exposure to prescription and non-prescription drugs or environmental toxins, as well as maternal infections, complications during the birth and pregnancy and family medical history or genetic diseases (like sickle cell disease PKU, or other genetic diseases). However, in approximately 70% of birth defect cases the causes are not clear.

Certain birth defects are readily detectable and can be identified either at birth or during the first year. Others, such as heart problems or intellectual and developmental disabilities, aren't as obvious and require tests of a different kind.

Researchers are attempting to determine what causes birth defects and how them may be prevented. For instance women who smoke or drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs during pregnancy increase the chances of having a child with certain birth defects. Women with a family history involving genetic disorders that are inherited may want to speak with a genetic counselor prior to trying to be pregnant. They should also fill out the March of Dimes family health record form to gather information about medical conditions that run in their families and then share it with their doctor or genetic counselor.