What Causes a Birth Defect?

The last thing that any expecting parent would like to hear is that their child could have a birth defect lawyer defect. These birth defects are caused by factors that occur during the fetal stage and could affect your child's mental or physical health.

A doctor can identify birth defects in pregnancy through newborn screening or prenatal tests. Other birth defects could only be identified after the birth of your child or if symptoms are evident.

What is the reason for your child's defect?

Many birth defect law firms defects are still undiscovered. There are a few factors that could increase the likelihood of pregnant women having children with birth defect. One of them is taking certain medications or drugs prior to becoming pregnant or [Redirect-302] having an ancestral history of birth defects or having certain medical conditions, such as rheumatic diseases. Women with a family background of these disorders are advised to speak with an expert on genetics prior to getting pregnant.

The degree to which a birth defect causes serious issues or not depends on which body part is affected and how much of the body part affected. Usually, the more severe the defect is, the more severe the issues will be.

Most birth defect lawsuit defects are caused either by genes or environment during fetal growth. The chance of developing a birth defect can be decreased by educating yourself about your family's history with health and genetic issues or talking to an expert on genetics and following prenatal guidelines.

Structural defects are birth imperfections that affect how an element of your body appears or functions. They may be visible like cleft lips, cleft palettes. They can also be invisible, such as chromosome disorders or metabolic conditions. Genetic disorders that are inherited are a kind of structural birth defect while environmental factors such as the lack of folic acid can cause neural tube defects that can result in the spinal cord and brain not developing properly.

Find More Evidence Than You Think

There are many medical procedures pregnant mothers may undergo to find out more about the possibility of birth defects. One of them is amniocentesis which involves a medical professional taking a small sample of fetal fluid for testing. This procedure may reveal chromosomal irregularities and other health conditions like infections (such as Zika or rubella) or genetic anomalies.

A doctor may also test the blood of a fetus as well as amniotic fluid and the tissues of its umbilical cord for signs of birth defects. These tests are essential to finding out the reason for a birth defect. They can also help determine how severe the birth defect is and the effects it could have on a child in their adulthood.

However certain birth defects may be unnoticed until the baby is born or, in rare cases, an adult. These conditions are not detectable until they are present and may only be identified with the use of diagnostic equipment. In these cases, the medical expert witness must be conversant with the technologies and have the training necessary to be able identify these defects. A lawyer who has expertise should be able to pinpoint the best expert for your case.

Hire a Medical Malpractice Lawyer

If a child is born with a serious birth defect or suffers a serious birth injury, it can completely turn a family's lives upside down. These injuries can lead to lifelong physical and psychological challenges that often require an entire lifetime of medical attention.

Although medical science has been able to identify the causes of about 30 percent of birth defects others remain a mystery. Research has revealed that certain chemicals and substances like those found in prescription or over the counter medications taken by a mother, toxic chemicals in homes and communities or in groundwater that has been contaminated with air, can cause birth defects.

Doctors are required by law to analyze the medication taken by a pregnant mother and inform her of any possible dangers to the fetus. If they fail to perform this duty, they may be held accountable for birth defects that are caused by medications.

Doctors also have a responsibility to assess the safety of any procedure or equipment they recommend to pregnant women. This includes xray machines, surgical tools, as well as other equipment. This could cause serious harm for a baby should a doctor use the equipment improperly or fails to calibrate it correctly. This would be considered medical malpractice. If this occurs it's crucial to contact a medical negligence attorney as soon as possible. In some states, you only have one year to file a medical malpractice case, so the earlier you begin the process the more favorable.

Start with the First Step

Birth defects affect 1 out of 33 babies born every year and are the most common cause of infant mortality. The condition could be life-threatening and lead to many long term mental, emotional and physical difficulties. In some cases, scientists have linked the causes to a mother's exposure to prescription or over-the-counter medications, toxins accumulated in the environment or in the maternal environment, as well as complications of pregnancy and birth or a medical history in the family (like genetic diseases such as sickle cell disease, PKU). However, in the majority of birth defect cases the cause is not known.

Certain birth defects are easily visible and can be detected when a baby is born or in the first year. Certain birth defects, such as heart defects, developmental and intellectual disabilities, require specific tests to detect.

Researchers are working to understand what causes birth defects and how these can be avoided. For example smoking or drink alcohol or take illegal drugs during pregnancy increase their risk of having a baby with certain birth defects. Women who have a history of family members with inherited genetic disorders should consider seeing 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 are prevalent in their families and discuss it with their doctor or a genetic counselor.