What Causes a Birth Defect?

The last thing a expecting parent wants to learn is that their child could have a birth deformity. These birth defects are caused factors that occur during the fetal stage and could affect your child's physical or mental health.

Screening for newborns and prenatal tests can be used by a health professional to determine the presence of certain birth defects that can occur during pregnancy. Other birth defect attorney defects can only be detected after the birth of your child or if symptoms start to show.

What caused your child's deficiency?

Many birth defects are not known. However, there are a few things that can increase a woman's risk of having a baby with defects. One of them is using certain medications or taking certain drugs before getting pregnant, having an ancestral history of birth defects, or having medical conditions such as rheumatic disease. Women with a history of these disorders should talk to an expert in genetic counseling about their options prior getting pregnant.

The extent to which a birth defect in a child causes serious problems or not will depend on the body part that is affected and how much of the body part affected. The more severe a birth defect, the more severe the issues.

The majority of birth defects are caused either through genetics or environmental factors during fetal development. You can reduce the chance of developing a birth defect by consulting a genetic counselor or a health professional, gaining knowledge about the background of your family and talking with geneticists.

Structural defects are birth problems that affect the way a part of your body appears or performs. They may be visible, such as cleft lips and Cleft palettes, but also invisible, like chromosome issues or metabolic conditions. Genetically-inherited conditions can be a type of birth defects with structural causes. Environmental causes, such as a lack folic acid, can cause neural tube defects that lead to the development of the spinal cord and brain not being correct.

Find More Evidence Than You Think

There are a variety of medical procedures a pregnant mother may undergo to discover more about a possible birth defect. Amniocentesis is a prime example, where a doctor collects tiny amounts of fluid from the fetus to conduct examination. This test may reveal chromosomal irregularities as well as other health conditions, such as infections (such as Zika or rubella) or genetic anomalies.

A doctor birth defect can test the amniotic liquid, blood and fetus's tissues for signs of a birth defect. These tests are crucial in determining the cause of birth defects. They also help determine the extent of the birth defect and the impact it has on a child's adult life.

However certain birth defects could go undetected until a baby is born or, in rare cases, as an adult. These issues aren't easily detected when they first appear and are sometimes only detected by using diagnostic equipment. For these types of cases, it is critical that the medical expert witness in question is knowledgeable about these technologies and has the proper education to spot these issues. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer will be able to identify the most appropriate expert for your case.

Find a Medical Malpractice Attorney

When a child is born with a severe birth defect or suffers a serious birth injury, it can completely turn a family's life upside down. These injuries can lead to lifelong physical and mental challenges and require medical treatment for the rest of their lives.

While medical science is able to pinpoint the causes of 30 percent of birth defects others remain unsolved. Studies have shown that certain chemicals and substances can cause birth defects, like those present in prescription or over the counter medication that mothers take, the toxic chemicals at work in some communities and homes, or contaminated air and groundwater.

Doctors are required to examine a pregnant mother's current medication and inform her of any possible dangers to the foetus. If they fail to fulfill this duty, they can be held liable for birth defects caused by medication.

Doctors also have a duty to evaluate the safety of any procedure or equipment they recommend for pregnant women. This includes xray machines, surgical tools, and any other equipment. If a doctor negligently uses the equipment, or fails to properly calibrate the equipment, it could lead to grave consequences for the baby. This is considered medical malpractice. If this happens it's crucial to seek out a medical malpractice lawyer as soon as you can. In some states, you only have a single year to file a medical malpractice claim, so the earlier you start the process, the more favorable.

Step 1. Step

Birth defects are the most common reason for infant deaths. They affect one in 33 babies every year. The condition could be life-threatening and result in a variety of long-term cognitive, emotional, and physical challenges. Scientists have in some cases linked the birth defects' causes to the mother's exposures to prescription and non-prescription drugs, environmental toxins, complications of motherhood, infections, the birth and pregnancy or a family medical history or genetic diseases (like sickle cell disease PKU, or other genetic diseases). In the majority of cases, the reason is unknown.

Certain birth defects, like clubfoot or hearing loss, are easy to spot and can be detected at birth or within the first year of a child's existence. Certain birth defects, such as heart defects, intellectual and development disabilities, require special tests to detect.

Researchers are trying to determine the root of birth defects, and how they can be avoided. Women who drink, smoke or take illegal drugs when pregnant are more likely to having a child born with certain defects. Women with an inherited family history of genetic disorders should consider seeing a genetic counselor prior to trying to get pregnant. They should also fill out the March of Dimes family health history form to collect information regarding medical conditions that run in their families and then share it with their doctor or a genetic counselor.