What Causes a Birth Defect?

It's not something that any expectant parent wants to hear: their child may be born with a defect. These birth defects can be caused by circumstances that occur during the fetal development and can affect the physical or mental health of your child.

Screening for newborns and prenatal tests can be utilized by a health care provider to determine the presence of certain birth defects that can occur during pregnancy. However other birth defects can not be detected until after the birth of your child or later when they develop symptoms.

What caused your child's asymmetry?

Many birth defects are still undiscovered. However, there are a few things that increase a woman's risk of having a baby with defects. These include using drugs or taking certain medications before the birth, having a family member with a birth defect or having certain medical conditions, like rheumatic heart disease. Women who have an ancestral background of these disorders are advised to speak with a genetic counselor prior to getting pregnant.

If a birth defect in a baby causes serious issues or not depends on the body part that is affected and the extent of the body part affected. Typically, the more severe the defect is it, the more serious the issues will be.

The majority of hobart birth defect lawsuit defects are caused by genes or the environment during the development of the fetus. You can reduce the chance of developing a birth defect by talking to a genetic counsellor or a health professional, gaining knowledge about the background of your family, and having a conversation with geneticists.

Structural defects are birth imperfections that affect how the body appears or performs. They can range from visible like cleft lips and cleft palate to the invisible, like metabolic disorders or chromosome problems. Inherited genetic conditions are one type of birth defect that is structural, and environmental factors like the absence of folic acid can cause neural tube defects that cause spinal cord and brain not developing correctly.

Find More Evidence Than You Think

There are many medical procedures that a pregnant woman can undergo to find out more about the possibility of a birth defect. Amniocentesis is one example, where a doctor collects tiny amounts of fluid from the fetus to conduct examination. This test can reveal chromosomal modifications in addition to other health issues such as infections (such as rubella or Zika) or genetic disorders.

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

Some birth defects might not be detected until after a baby's birth or, in some rare cases even after becoming an adult. These conditions aren't readily apparent when they occur and are sometimes only detected through diagnostic equipment. In these instances the medical expert witness must be conversant with the technology and have the knowledge and experience required to identify these flaws. A seasoned medical malpractice lawyer is able to determine the most suitable expert for your case.

Find an attorney who specializes in medical malpractice

If a child is born with a serious birth defect or suffers a devastating birth injury, it could completely turn a family's world upside down. These injuries can lead to long-term physical and mental issues that require medical attention for a lifetime.

Medical science is able to explain approximately 30 percent of birth defect cases but the rest remain a mystery. Research has found that certain chemicals and substances, such as those found in prescription or over-the-counter medication taken by mothers, toxic chemicals in the community and in homes, or contaminated groundwater and air can cause derby Birth Defect lawyer defects.

Doctors are required to examine a pregnant mother's current medications and advise her of any potential dangers for the baby. If they fail to fulfill this duty, they can be held accountable for birth defects caused by medication.

Doctors must also evaluate the safety and effectiveness of any procedure or device they recommend to pregnant women. This includes x ray devices, surgical instruments and other equipment. It could be a serious risk for a baby's health if a doctor uses the equipment improperly or fails to calibrate it correctly. This is a case of malpractice. In the event of this it's crucial to speak with a medical malpractice lawyer as soon as you can. In certain states, you have only one year to file a case for medical malpractice and it's recommended to begin the process as soon as possible.

Take the First Step

Birth defects are the main cause of infant death. They affect one in 33 babies each year. The conditions are life-threatening and lead to many long term physical, emotional and cognitive difficulties. Researchers have in a few instances linked the causes of waukesha birth defect lawyer defects to exposure to prescription and over-the-counter medications, environmental toxins, maternal infections, complications during the birth and pregnancy or a family medical history or genetic disorders (like sickle cell disease PKU, or other genetic illnesses). In about 70% of cases, the cause is unknown.

Certain birth defects, including clubfoot or hearing loss, are easy to see and can be identified at birth or in the first year of a child's life. Some birth defects, like heart defects or intellectual and development disabilities, require special tests to detect.

Researchers are trying determine what causes birth defects and how they can be prevented. Women who smoke, drink or take illegal drugs while pregnant are at a higher risk of having a child with certain defects. Women who have an inherited family history of genetic disorders should seek out a genetic counselor before trying to get pregnant. They should also use the March of Dimes family health history form to gather information about medical conditions that can be found in their families and discuss it with their doctor or a genetic counselor.