Teratogens May Cause Birth Defects

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Recommended: Effects of teratogens on human development

A teratogen is a drug or other substance capable of interfering with the development of an embryo fetus or breastfeeding baby that may lead to birth defects, developmental malformations, or even death. It is usually something in the environment that the mother may be exposed to during her pregnancy. It could be prescription/nonprescription medications, illegal drugs, tobacco, alcohol use, vaccines, or environmental exposures. It could also be a disease present in the mother, which could increase the chance for the baby to be born with a birth defect. About 75% of birth defects are caused by teratogens.
Every woman has a 3-5% risk of having a baby born with a birth defect. However; some teratogens could increase that risk all depending when in the pregnancy a woman had the exposure, how much of the exposure, and the route of the exposure. Timing is a huge factor that can influence the effect of teratogens. It all depends on the timing, and what period in the pregnancy the child is exposed. Teratogens can cause damage during specific days or weeks in early pregnancy, and other teratogens are harmful at any time during the pregnancy. For example, the brain and nervous system can be harmed throughout the pregnancy. Another factor to the effect of a teratogen is its exposure. How the baby is affected by the teratogens all depends on the dosage, and how frequent the teratogen was exposed. There are two effects, the threshold effect and the interaction effect. The threshold effect is relatively harmless in small doses but may become harmful when the exposure reaches a certain level. The interaction effect is a particular teratogen’s potential for causing harm, which increases when it is combined with another teratogen or another risk ...

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...arch 25, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/baby/smoking-during-pregnancy
Pregnancy and Teratogens. (n.d.). Pregnancy and Teratogens. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from http://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/teratogens Pregnant women: Secondhand smoke can harm your baby. (n.d). The Chart RSS. Retrieved March 28, 2014, from http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/07/pregnant-women-secondhand-smoke-can-harm-your-unborn-baby/ Teratogens. (n.d.). Teratogens. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from http://umich.edu/~psycours/350/jaeckelj/terats.h
Teratogens. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from http://www.chw.org/medical-care/genetics-and-genomics-program/medical-genetics/teratogens/
Teratogens and their effects on unborn & nursing infants. (n.d.). Teratogens and their effects on unborn & nursing infants. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from http://www.metroplexbaby.com/ParentGuide

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