What Causes a Birth Defect?

The last thing a new parent wants to hear is that their child may be born with a deformity. These birth defects are caused by things that happen in the fetal period and can affect your child's physical or mental health.

Prenatal testing and newborn screening can be utilized by a healthcare professional to diagnose certain birth defects during pregnancy. Other birth defects can only be detected after your child's birth or when symptoms appear.

What caused your child's deficiency?

The causes of many marathon birth defect lawyer defects remains unknown. There are some things that can increase the risk of pregnant women having children with birth defect. These include using drugs or taking certain medications prior to pregnancy, a history of having a relative with an abnormal birth or certain medical conditions like rheumatic heart disease. Women with an ancestral history of these conditions are advised to consult a genetic counsellor before getting pregnant.

Whether a child's birth defect causes serious problems or not depends on which body part is affected and how much of the body part is affected. The more severe the birth defect, the greater the severity of the issues.

The majority of birth defects are caused by genes or the environment during the fetal development. The chance of developing birth defects is reduced by knowing about your family's history with health and genetic issues and speaking with a genetic counselor and following prenatal care guidelines.

Structural birth defects alter how a part of the body appears or performs. They may be visible, like cleft lips or Cleft palettes, or they can be invisible, like chromosome conditions or metabolic conditions. Genetic conditions that are passed down through the generations are one type of structural birth defect, and environmental factors like a lack of folic acid can cause neural tube defects that result in the spinal cord and brain not developing correctly.

Find More Evidence Than You Think You Can.

There are many medical procedures that pregnant mothers can undergo in order to determine the cause of the possibility of a birth defect. One of them is amniocentesis which involves a medical professional taking a small sample of fetal fluid to test. This test can reveal chromosomal changes, as well as other health conditions like infections (such as rubella or Zika) or genetic disorders.

A doctor may also test a fetus' blood amniotic fluid, fetal blood and the umbilical cord for indications of birth defects. These tests are essential in determining the cause of a birth defect. They can also determine the severity of birth defect and the impact it has on the adult life of a child.

However certain birth defects may be missed until a baby is born or, in rare instances, when an adult. This is because the conditions are not detectable until they become apparent, and may only be detected using diagnostic equipment. In these cases, the medical expert witness must be conversant with the technology and have the knowledge and experience required to identify these defects. A seasoned medical malpractice attorney is able to determine the most suitable expert for your case.

Hire a Medical Malpractice Attorney

A child born with a serious defect or a severe birth injury can completely change the life of families. These injuries can lead to lifelong physical and psychological challenges which often require the need for a lifetime of medical treatment.

Medical science can explain about 30 percent of hampton birth defect lawsuit defect cases, but many others remain unknown. Studies have shown that certain chemicals and substances, such as those in prescription or over the counter medicines taken by mothers and toxic chemicals found in the community and in homes, or contaminated groundwater and air, can cause wilmette birth defect attorney defects.

Doctors are required to assess the medication used by an expectant mother and inform her of any possible dangers for the embryo. If they fail to fulfill this obligation, they could be held accountable for birth defects that are caused by medication.

Doctors are also required to evaluate the safety and efficacy of any procedure or device they recommend to pregnant women. This includes x ray equipment, surgical instruments and other equipment. If a doctor is negligent in using this equipment or fails to correctly calibrate the equipment, it could have grave consequences for the baby. This would be considered medical malpractice. It is important to contact a medical negligence lawyer as soon as you can when this happens. In some states, you have only a single year to file a medical negligence claim, so the earlier you begin the process the more favorable.

Step 1. Step

Birth defects affect one out of 33 babies born each year, and are a leading cause of infant mortality. These conditions could be life-threatening, and can result in long-term physical, cognitive and emotional difficulties. In some instances, scientists have linked the causes to a mother's exposure to prescription or non-prescription medicines, toxins that are found in the environment as well as maternal infections, complications of pregnancy and birth or a family medical history (like genetic illnesses, sickle cell disease or PKU). However, in the majority of birth defect cases the cause is not known.

Some birth defects are easily evident and can be found at birth or in the first year of life. Others, such as heart problems or developmental and intellectual disabilities aren't as obvious and require special tests.

Researchers are working to understand what can cause birth defects and how them may be prevented. Women who smoke, drink or use illegal drugs while pregnant are at a higher risk of having a child born with certain defects. Women with a family history that involves genetic disorders that are inherited may want to consult a genetic counsellor before trying to conceive. 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.