Potential Hazards to Prenatal Development

Teratogens

  • Teratogens: environmental agents, such as a virus, a drug, or radiation, that can interfere with normal prenatal development and cause developmental abnormalities.
  • Not all environmental hazards are equal – can also depend on when and where exposure is during pregnancy, duration of exposure, genetic susceptibility, etc.
  • Teratogens include: prescription and nonprescription drugs, alcohol and tobacco, incompatible blood types, environmental pollutants, infectious diseases, nutritional deficiencies, and maternal diseases.

Drug Intake

  • Almost everything an expectant mother takes in makes its way to the uterus (prescription and non-prescription OTC drugs)
  • Drugs may cross the placenta.
  • Heroin and methadone
    • Maternal addiction linked to low-birth-weight, prematurity
    • Baby may be born addicted and suffer from delays in motor and language development
  • Marijuana (risk proportional to amount smoked)
    • Risk of low-birth-weight, immature development of nervous system
    • Babies might have tremors and get startled easily
    • May predispose offspring to dependence on opiates, even in adulthood
    • Studies have yielded conflicting results, however
  • Cocaine
    • Maternal use of cocaine increases risk of stillbirth, low-birth-weight, and birth defects
    • Often infant is irritable, excitable, or lethargic
    • In utero exposure results in problems throughout childhood
    • Lower rates of expressive language
    • Studies have been conducted with rats, as we are limited to correlational studies with humans due to (obvious) ethical implications

Opiods

  • The number of pregnant women abusing opioids has risen
  • Opioid use is associated with small babies, fetal death, preterm labor
  • Babies born to drug-addicted mothers are often addicted themselves and go through withdrawal once they are born and no longer receiving the drug
  • “Cuddling” programs for impacted babies to help ease withdrawal symptoms

Common Drugs

  • Caffeine
    • Inconclusive evidence
    • Excess connected with miscarriage and low-birth-weight
  • Cigarettes
    • Nicotine and carbon monoxide
    • Smaller babies
    • Men who smoke may produce abnormal sperm

Alcohol

  • Alcohol passes through placenta and poses risks for death of fetus and neonate, malformations, and growth deficiencies
  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
    • Children of heavy drinkers may develop Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
    • Smaller babies, smaller brains, widely spaced eyes, underdeveloped upper jaw, flattened nose, poor coordination
    • Physical and psychological defects – intellectual disabilities, distractibility and poor judgment as well as deficiencies in hearing and speech
    • Children of moderate drinkers may develop Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE)
    • Less severe form of deficits, compared to FAS

Illnesses

  • Among the diseases that can cause serious problems for offspring are: AIDS, Rubella, Toxoplasmosis, Zika, Diabetes