What Can Go Wrong
Infectious diseases, medication and environmental toxins may affect the developing embryo. Some of these may or may not affect the mother but can be passed to the fetus. Many diseases are caused by viruses, which easily pass between mother and fetus.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that infects most people at some point in their lives, causing no significant symptoms. But, if the mother passes the virus to the fetus through the placenta, the infection can damage the brain. Children who had fetal CMV infections may have stunted growth, microcephaly (abnormally small brain and head size), and a number of other physical problems.
Syphilis, a sexually transmitted bacterial disease, can be passed from mother to fetus . Early in the pregnancy, the developing central nervous system of the fetus may be affected by the infection.
At birth, some of these infants have Meningitis (inflammation of the brain, spinal fluid, and lining covering the brain) or hydrocephalus (excessive fluid within and surrounding the brain), at birth, may have mental retardation as they grow older.
In the early stages of pregnancy, an unvaccinated, exposed mother can pass rubella to the developing fetus, resulting in cerebral palsy and mental retardation, among other problems.
Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite that is commonly found in undercooked meat and in cat stools. There are no symptoms of the infection in healthy adults, but these children may develop learning disabilities, movement problems, mental retardation, and vision loss.
Metabolic disorders are problems in the chemical reactions in the body involved with producing energy from food, and supporting the growth and function of the body’s cells and tissues. When metabolic disorders occur during pregnancy or even during childhood, they may affect the developing central nervous system. Two of the most common metabolic conditions that affect children are phenylketonuria (PKU) an inherited genetic disorder and hypothyroidism. Phenylketonuria effects how children chemically handle phenylalanine, an essential amino acid.
Herpes virus can be transmitted in the fetus, leading to deafness, brain swelling, or mental retardation.
Psychoactive drugs such as alcohol, cocaine, heroin, inhalants, and tobacco have a deleterious effect on prenatal development leading to problems including low birth-weight, premature birth, and impaired brain development. The effects can lead to both short-term and long-term deficits. Exposure to psychoactive drugs in-utero may cause signs of drug withdrawal after birth, such as crying, startling, difficulty sleeping, and erratic eating.
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is caused by the consumption of a large amount of alcohol during pregnancy. Alcohol intake during pregnancy causes a wide range of damage to an unborn child and results in many different disorders (called fetal alcohol spectrum disorder). The degree of damage varies according to the amount of alcohol consumed and the particular time of pregnancy that the alcohol is consumed.
Medicinal drugs including anticonvulsants, tetracycline, anticoagulants, bromides, and most hormones. It is important for pregnant women to avoid any medications that have not been specifically recommended by their doctor.
Deficiency of folic acid in the mother appears to be an important factor in the development of spina bifida, when the spinal cord is not enclosed in the backbone.
Exposure to household chemicals or other toxins in the environment may also contribute to impairment of the central nervous system of a fetus.
Lower than normal levels of the B vitamin folic acid in the mother may place the developing fetus at risk for anencephaly. A fetus with anencephaly is born with no brain or only the very basic parts of the brain that control processes like breathing. Anencephaly is always a fatal condition and the infant may be stillborn * or die within days or weeks of birth.
