What Causes a Birth Defect?

It's the last thing any expectant parent wants to hear: their child may have a birth defect. These defects are caused by factors that occur during the fetal stage and could affect your child's physical or mental health.

A doctor can diagnose some birth defects during pregnancy using prenatal tests or newborn screening. However, other birth defects may not be identified until after the birth of your child or later when they develop symptoms.

What was the cause of your child's error?

The reason for numerous birth defects remains unclear. However there are a few things that increase the chance of having a child born with defects. One of them is using certain medications or taking certain drugs before becoming pregnant or having an ancestral history of birth defects or having certain medical conditions such as rheumatic illness. Women with a family history of these disorders are advised to consult an expert on genetics prior to becoming pregnant.

If a birth defect in a baby can cause serious health issues or not is contingent upon the body part that is affected and how much of the body part affected. The more severe a birth defect, the more serious the problems.

Most birth defects are caused by genetics or the environment during fetal development. You can reduce the chance of developing a birth defect by speaking with a genetic counselor or Download free a health professional, gaining knowledge about the background of your family and speaking with an expert in genetics.

Structural defects are birth imperfections that affect how a part of your body looks or performs. They vary from the obvious like cleft lips and cleft palate, to the invisible, like metabolic disorders or chromosome disorders. Inherited genetic conditions are one kind of structural birth defect, while environmental factors like the lack of folic acid can lead to neural tube defects, which can result in the brain or spinal cord not developing correctly.

Gather More Evidence Than You Think You Can.

There are a variety of medical procedures that pregnant women can undergo to determine the possibility of a birth defect. One example is amniocentesis, that involves a doctor taking a small sample of the fetal fluid to be tested. This procedure can reveal chromosomal defects as well as other health conditions such as infections (such as Zika or rubella) or genetic anomalies.

A doctor may also test the blood of a fetus amniotic fluid, fetal blood and the tissues of its umbilical cord for indications of birth defects. These tests are essential in diagnosing the root of birth defect. They can also determine the degree of a birth defect and its impact on a child's adult life.

However certain birth defects may be unnoticed until the baby is born, or بالنقر هنا in rare cases, an adult. These issues aren't easily detected before they are present and are usually only detected through diagnostic equipment. In these cases the medical expert witness must be conversant with the techniques and the education required to identify these defects. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer can help you identify the appropriate specialist for your particular case.

Find an attorney for Medical Malpractice

When a child is born with a severe birth defect or suffers a devastating birth injury, it could completely turn a family's lives upside down. These injuries can lead to lifelong physical and emotional problems which often require ongoing medical treatment.

Medical science can pinpoint the underlying causes behind about 30 percent of birth defects, others remain unsolved. Research has shown that certain chemicals and substances may cause birth defects, such as those found in prescription or over-the-counter medication that mothers take as well as the toxic chemicals that working in some communities and homes, or in contaminated air and groundwater.

Doctors must evaluate the medication taken by the expecting mother and inform her of any potential risks for the fetus. If they fail to perform this duty, they can be held accountable for birth defects that are caused by medications.

Doctors are also required to examine the safety of any procedure or device they recommend to pregnant women. This includes x-ray machines surgical tools, as well as other equipment. If a doctor is negligent in using the equipment, or fails to properly calibrate the equipment it could cause serious consequences for the baby. This is considered medical malpractice. It is essential to contact a medical malpractice lawyer immediately in the event of this happening. In certain states, you have only one year to file a claim for medical malpractice, so it's best to start the process as soon as you can.

Start with the First Step

Birth defects are the most common cause of infant mortality. They affect one in 33 babies every year. These issues can be life-threatening and they can cause lasting physical, cognitive and emotional issues. Researchers have in a few instances connected the birth defect lawsuits defects' causes to the mother's exposures to prescription and over-the-counter drugs or environmental toxins, as well as maternal infections, complications during the birth defect lawyers and pregnancy, family medical history, or genetic diseases (like sickle cell disease PKU, sickle cell disease, or other genetic illnesses). However, in a majority of birth defects cases, the causes are unknown.

Certain birth defects are easily detectable and can be identified either at birth or during the first year of life. Certain birth defects, such as heart defects, intellectual and development disabilities, require special tests to determine the cause.

Researchers are trying to discover what causes birth defects and how these can be avoided. For example, women who smoke or drink alcohol or take illegal drugs during pregnancy increase their chances of having a child with certain defects. Women with a family history of inheritance genetic disorders should consider seeing a genetic counselor prior to trying to become pregnant. They may also use the March of Dimes Family Health History form to gather information on medical conditions that run through their families. This information should be shared with their doctor or genetic counselor.