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Folate deficiency has a well-established teratogenic effect, leading to an increasing risk of neural tube defects.
What are some examples of a teratogen?
A teratogen is something that can cause birth defects or abnormalities in a developing embryo or fetus upon exposure. Teratogens include some medications, recreational drugs, tobacco products, chemicals, alcohol, certain infections, and in some cases, health problems such as uncontrolled diabetes in pregnant people.
What are teratogenic drugs?
Drugs that can cause birth defects are said to be ‘teratogenic drugs’. Medical science cannot always predict how exposure to a teratogenic drug will affect a developing fetus. It can be dangerous for a pregnant woman to stop taking prescription drugs if she has a medical condition or becomes ill.
Can folic acid cause birth defects?
Folic acid can reduce certain birth defects of the brain and spinal cord by more than 70 percent. These birth defects are called neural tube defects (NTDs). NTDs happen when the spinal cord fails to close properly. The most common neural tube defect is spina bifida.
What are teratogens?
A teratogen is any agent that causes an abnormality following fetal exposure during pregnancy. Teratogens are usually discovered after an increased prevalence of a particular birth defect. For example, in the early 1960’s, a drug known as thalidomide was used to treat morning sickness.
What are the 4 types of teratogens?
Additionally, teratogens may also affect pregnancies and cause complications such as preterm labors, spontaneous abortions, or miscarriages. Teratogens are classified into four types: physical agents, metabolic conditions, infection, and finally, drugs and chemicals.
Is caffeine a teratogen?
In humans, caffeine does not present any teratogenic risk. The increased risk of the most common congenital malformations entailed by moderate consumption of caffeine is very slight.
What is the most common teratogen?
Alcohol: One of the most commonly used teratogens is alcohol, and because half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, it is recommended that women of child-bearing age take great caution against drinking alcohol when not using birth control or when pregnant (CDC, 2005).
Is smoking a teratogen?
A teratogen is any agent that disrupts a baby’s development when a person is exposed to it during pregnancy. Known teratogens include alcohol, smoking, toxic chemicals, radiation, viruses, some maternal health conditions, and certain prescription drugs.
What are 2 common teratogens?
Alcohol and smoking are two common teratogens. Exposure to either of them can lead to developmental anomalies, miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm labor, and a variety of other pregnancy complications.
What is the best folic acid for pregnancy?
It is recommended that women consume 600 micrograms of supplemental folic acid, in addition to the folate found in food. Thorne’s Basic Prenatal contains 1,000 micrograms of metabolically active folic acid—283 percent of the recommended daily intake for folate.
How long should a pregnant woman take folic acid?
It’s important to take a 400 micrograms folic acid tablet every day before you’re pregnant and until you’re 12 weeks pregnant. Folic acid can help prevent birth defects known as neural tube defects, including spina bifida.
What does folic acid do for pregnancy?
When the baby is developing early during pregnancy, folic acid helps form the neural tube. Folic acid is very important because it can help prevent some major birth defects of the baby’s brain (anencephaly) and spine (spina bifida).
Is stress a teratogen?
Maternal psychological stress has essentially been conceptualized as a teratogen, that is, an agent that can generate deleterious perinatal and/or developmental outcomes.
What are three teratogens?
Teratogenic agents include infectious agents (rubella, cytomegalovirus, varicella, herpes simplex, toxoplasma, syphilis, etc.); physical agents (ionizing agents, hyperthermia); maternal health factors (diabetes, maternal PKU); environmental chemicals (organic mercury compounds, polychlorinated biphenyl or PCB,.
How do you prevent teratogens?
Do not use chemicals that may harm your child – This includes pesticides, fungicides, rodenticides, or harsh cleaning products. Do not smoke, use drugs or consume alcohol during pregnancy – These teratogens greatly increase the risk of fetal birth defects and other life threatening conditions.
Can teratogens cause birth defects?
As a baby grows in the womb, teratogens may affect parts of the baby’s body as they are forming. For example, the neural tube closes in the first 3 to 5 weeks of the pregnancy. During this time, teratogens can cause neural tube defects such as spina bifida.
Which substance is not a teratogen?
Examples of non-teratogenic agents: spermicides, acetaminophen, prenatal vitamins, using a microwave to cook food. A non-teratogenic agent is one which does not cause birth defects.
Which is a best practice for a healthy pregnancy?
Share This Article: Take a prenatal vitamin. Exercise regularly. Write a birth plan. Educate yourself. Change your chores (avoid harsh or toxic cleaners, heavy lifting) Track your weight gain (normal weight gain is 25-35 pounds) Get comfortable shoes. Eat folate-rich foods (lentils, asparagus, oranges, fortified cereals).
Which fruit should I avoid during pregnancy?
Papaya– It tops the list for obvious reasons. Raw or semi ripe papaya contains latex which can induce premature contractions and that can be dangerous for your baby.
What period of pregnancy is very sensitive to teratogens?
The embryonic period, during which organogenesis takes place, occurs between implantation at around 14 days to around 60 days postconception. This is usually the most sensitive period to teratogenesis when exposure to a teratogenic agent has the greatest likelihood of producing a malformation.
What does caffeine do to a fetus?
Facts: Numerous studies on animals have shown that caffeine can cause birth defects, premature labor, preterm delivery, reduced fertility, and increase the risk of low-birth-weight offspring and other reproductive problems.
What is the embryo?
Embryo, the early developmental stage of an animal while it is in the egg or within the uterus of the mother. In humans the term is applied to the unborn child until the end of the seventh week following conception; from the eighth week the unborn child is called a fetus. First Stages Of Human Development.
At what stage does the umbilical cord develop?
The umbilical cord is the vital connection between the fetus and the placenta. Umbilical cord development begins in the embryologic period around week 3 with the formation of the connecting stalk.
