What Causes a Birth Defect?

It's the last thing an expectant parent wants to hear: Their child may be born with a defect. These birth defects are caused by things that occur in the fetal period and can affect your child's mental or physical health.

A health care provider can diagnose some birth defects during pregnancy by using prenatal testing or newborn screening. However, other birth defects may not be discovered until after your child is born or when they start to develop symptoms.

What is the cause of your child's deformity?

The causes of many birth defects remains unknown. There are a few factors that could increase the likelihood of being pregnant with a child with birth defect. These include using prescription drugs or taking certain medications prior birth defects to pregnancy, a history of having a relative with birth defects or certain medical conditions, for instance rheumatic heart disease. Women with an ancestral history of these diseases are advised to consult a genetic counselor prior to becoming pregnant.

The severity of a birth defect in a child is contingent on the affected body part and how much is affected. The more severe the birth defect, the more serious the issues.

Most birth defects are caused by genetics or the environment during the development of the fetus. The chance of developing birth defects can be reduced by learning about your family's history of health issues and genes or talking to an expert in genetic counseling and following the prenatal care guidelines.

Structural defects are birth problems that affect the way an element of your body appears or performs. They can range from visible such as cleft lips and cleft palate, to the invisible, like metabolic disorders or chromosome disorders. Genetically-inherited conditions could be a form of structural birth defects. Environmental factors, for instance, a lack folic acid, can cause neural tube defects that result in brain or spinal cord development not functioning as it should.

Gather More Evidence Than You Think

There are a variety of medical procedures a pregnant mother is able to undergo in order to learn more about the possibility of birth defects. One example is amniocentesis, that involves a doctor taking a small sample of fetal fluid for analysis. This test can reveal chromosomal abnormalities as well as other health conditions, such as infections (such as Zika or rubella) or genetic anomalies.

A doctor may also test a fetus' blood amniotic fluid, fetal blood and the tissues of its umbilical cord for indications of birth defects. These tests are crucial in finding out the cause of birth defects. They can also assist in determining the severity of a birth defect could be and the effects it could affect a child later in the years to come.

However, some birth defects can be unnoticed until the baby is born or, in rare instances, when an adult. These problems are not easily identified until they have been identified, and are often detected using diagnostic equipment. In these cases, the medical expert witness should be acquainted with the techniques and the knowledge and experience required to identify these issues. A seasoned medical malpractice attorney should be able to identify the right expert for your case.

Employ a Medical Malpractice Lawyer

A child born with a severe defect or a severe birth injury can alter the life of families. These injuries can create life-long physical and emotional challenges, often requiring a lifetime of medical care.

While medical science is able to pinpoint the underlying causes behind about 30% of birth defects others remain unexplained. Research has shown that certain chemicals and substances may cause birth defects, for example those found in prescription or over-the-counter medications that mothers use or the toxic chemicals at play in certain communities and in homes, or the contaminating air and groundwater.

Doctors have a duty to examine a pregnant mother's current medications and inform her of any risks to the fetus. If they fail in their obligation, they could be held responsible for birth defects caused by medication.

Doctors also have a responsibility to evaluate the safety of any procedure or device they recommend to pregnant women. This includes x ray devices, surgical instruments and other equipment. This could cause serious harm for a child in the event that a physician uses the equipment in a negligent manner or does not calibrate it correctly. This would be considered to be malpractice. It's important to get in touch with a medical malfeasance lawyer as soon as you can if this happens. In some states, you are only allowed one year to file a medical negligence case, so the earlier you start the process, the better.

Step 1. Step

Birth defects affect one of 33 babies born every year, and are a leading cause of infant mortality. These issues are life-threatening, and can result in long-term physical, mental and emotional problems. Scientists have in some cases linked the causes of birth defects in mothers' exposure to prescription and over-the-counter drugs or environmental toxins, as well as complications of motherhood, infections, the birth and pregnancy or a family medical history or genetic diseases (like sickle cell disease PKU, sickle cell disease, birth defects or other genetic diseases). However, in approximately 70% of birth defects cases the cause is not known.

Some birth defects, like hearing loss or clubfoot, are easy to spot and can be detected from birth or within the first year of a child's life. Other birth defects, such as heart defects or developmental and intellectual disabilities are not as obvious and require special tests.

Researchers are working to understand what causes birth defects and how some of they can be prevented. For example smoking or drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs during pregnancy increase their chance of having a baby with certain birth defects. Women with a family history involving inherited genetic disorders may want to consult a genetic counselor before trying to get pregnant. They should also utilize the March of Dimes family health history form to collect data about medical conditions that run in their families and share it with their doctor or a genetic counselor.