What Causes a Birth Defect?

The last thing a new parent wants to learn is that their child might be born with a deformity. These problems could be the result of things that happen during pregnancy and can impact the physical or mental health of your child.

Screening for newborns and prenatal tests can be used by a health professional to diagnose certain birth defects during pregnancy. However other birth defects can not be detected until after the birth defect law firms of your child or later, when they begin to show symptoms.

What Caused Your Child's Defect?

The causes of the majority of birth defects is still unknown. There are certain factors that increase the chance of being pregnant with a child with birth defect. One of them is taking certain medications or prescription drugs before getting pregnant or having a family history of birth defects or having certain medical conditions, such as rheumatic diseases. Women who have an history of these conditions should consult an expert on genetic counseling about their options prior to getting pregnant.

The degree to which a birth defect can cause serious health issues or not depends on which body part is affected and the extent of the body part affected. The more severe the defect is, the more severe the problem will be.

Most birth defects are caused by genes or the environment during fetal development. You can reduce your risk of a birth deformity by consulting with a genetic counsellor and learning about the health background of your family and talking with geneticists.

Structural birth defects alter the way a part of your body looks or works. They vary from the obvious such as cleft lips and cleft palate, up to the invisible, such as metabolic disorders or chromosome disorder. Genetic disorders that are inherited are a kind of structural birth defect while environmental factors like the lack of folic acid can cause neural tube defects, which cause spinal cord or brain not developing correctly.

Find More Evidence than You Think You Can.

There are a number of medical procedures a pregnant woman can undergo to determine potential birth defects. One of these is amniocentesis which entails a doctor taking a small sample of fetal fluid for testing. This procedure can reveal chromosomal abnormalities and other health conditions like infections (such as Zika or rubella) or genetic anomalies.

A doctor can also test the blood of a fetus as well as amniotic fluid and the umbilical cord for indications of birth defects. These tests are crucial in determining the causes of birth defects. They also help determine the extent of the birth defect and its impact on a child's life.

Certain birth defects might not be discovered until after the birth of a child or, in rare instances, even as an adult. These problems aren't visible when they first appear and are sometimes only detected by using diagnostic equipment. For these types of situations, it is essential that the medical expert witness involved is familiar with these technologies and has the proper education to identify such defects. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer can help you identify the right expert for your particular case.

Hire a Medical Malpractice Lawyer

A child born with a severe defect or a severe birth injury can drastically alter the life of families. These injuries can cause long-lasting physical and emotional problems that often require an entire lifetime of medical attention.

Medical science can pinpoint the causes of about 30% of birth defects, many others remain unexplained. Research has revealed that certain chemicals and substances may cause birth defects, for example those that are found in prescription or over-the counter medicines that mothers are prescribed as well as the toxic chemicals that play in certain communities and homes, or in contaminated groundwater and air.

Doctors have a duty to evaluate the mother's current medications and inform her of any possible dangers for the baby. If they fail in this obligation, they could be held responsible for birth defects that are caused by medications.

Doctors also have the responsibility to determine the safety of any procedure or device they recommend for pregnant women. This includes x-ray equipment, surgical tools, as well as other equipment. This could cause serious harm for a baby's health when a doctor uses the equipment improperly or fails to calibrate it correctly. This is considered to be malpractice. If this occurs, it's important to speak with a medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible. In certain states, you only have one year to file a medical malpractice case, so the sooner you start the process, the more favorable.

Start with the First Step

Birth defects are the primary reason for infant deaths. They affect one in 33 babies each year. The conditions can be life-threatening and lead to many long term cognitive, emotional, and physical problems. Scientists have in a few cases identified the birth defects' causes to the mother's exposures to prescription and non-prescription drugs, environmental toxins, maternal infections, complications during delivery and pregnancy and family medical history or genetic diseases (like sickle cell disease PKU, sickle cell disease, or other genetic illnesses). In around 70% of cases, the cause is unknown.

Certain birth defects, including clubfoot or hearing loss, are easy to see and are easily diagnosed either at birth or during the first year of a child's life. Others, like heart defects or developmental and intellectual disabilities, are not as obvious and require specialized tests.

Researchers are trying to discover the cause of Birth Defect Attorney defects and how they can be avoided. Women who drink, smoke or consume illegal substances while pregnant increase their risk for having a child born with certain defects. Women with an inherited family history of genetic disorders should think about seeing a genetic counselor before trying to get pregnant. They should also utilize the March of Dimes family health history form to gather information about medical conditions that are prevalent in their families and share it with their doctor or a genetic counselor.