It is difficult to completely determine the effects of a particular illicit drug on a developing child because most mothers, who use, use more than one substance.
How do environmental agents affect the prenatal development?
Environmental factors may have significant adverse effects on the developing fetus. Prescribed and illicit drugs, environmental chemicals, physical factors, and maternal diseases may affect the developing fetus directly or may interact with genetic factors to cause birth defects.
Why is it difficult to determine prenatal effects?
Polydrug use, genetic, and environmental factors make it difficult to identify the specific direct effects of prenatal drug exposure on children’s outcome. If these factors are not accounted for, developmental effects may be erroneously attributed to prenatal drug exposure (Type I error).
How do the disease drugs and environmental hazards affect prenatal development?
While environmental exposure is how many diseases and conditions are acquired, developing fetuses are particularly vulnerable to these. The effects of environmental hazards on pregnancy can be severe and include disruptions in fetal growth, congenital anomalies, stillbirth, and pregnancy loss.
What are the factors influencing prenatal risks?
Prenatal risk factors include chronic maternal illness, certain maternal infections, toxin exposures and nutritional deficiencies. Risk factors in the perinatal period include pregnancy-related complications, prematurity and low birth weight, and infection exposure during pregnancy or at time of birth.
What are environmental factors that affect pregnancy and child birth?
Various epidemiological studies have suggested associations between environmental exposures such as air pollution, environmental tobacco smoke, pesticides, solvents, metals, radiation, water contaminants (disinfection by-products, arsenic, and nitrates) and chemicals (persistent organic pollutants (POPs), Bisphenol A, …
What are 4 environmental factors that can harm a fetus?
These chemicals include commonly known hazards such as lead, mercury, and environmental tobacco smoke, as well as some pesticides, solvents, products containing chlorine, and other chemicals referred to as “persistent organic pollutants.” The fetus is particularly vulnerable to environmental chemicals that can disrupt …
When is the fetus most vulnerable to the effects of teratogens and why?
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.
How does lack of prenatal care affect the baby?
Prenatal care can help keep you and your baby healthy. Babies of mothers who do not get prenatal care are three times more likely to have a low birth weight and five times more likely to die than those born to mothers who do get care. Doctors can spot health problems early when they see mothers regularly.
What are environmental teratogens?
Teratogens are defined as any environmental factor that can produce a permanent abnormality in structure or function, restriction of growth, or death of the embryo or fetus.7.
What is the most common complication of pregnancy?
These are the most common complications women experience during pregnancy:
- High blood pressure. High blood pressure occurs when the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the organs and the placenta are narrowed. …
- Gestational diabetes. …
- Preeclampsia. …
- Preterm labor. …
- Miscarriage. …
- Anemia. …
- Infections. …
- Breech position.