What Causes a Birth Defect?

The last thing a new parent would like to hear is that their child might have a birth defect. These birth defects are caused factors that occur during the fetal stage and could affect your child's physical or mental health.

Screening for newborns and prenatal tests can be utilized by a doctor to detect certain birth defects during pregnancy. Other birth defects can only be detected following the birth of your child or if symptoms are evident.

What caused your child's deficiency?

Many birth defects remain undiscovered. However, there are a few things that can increase the chance of having a baby born with a defect. These include using prescription drugs or taking certain medications before the birth defect lawsuit, having a relative with an abnormal birth or certain medical conditions, for instance rheumatic heart disease. Women with a history of these disorders should speak with an expert on genetic counseling about their options prior to becoming pregnant.

The extent to which a birth defect in a child can cause serious health issues or not is dependent on which body part is affected and the extent of the body part affected. Typically, the more severe the defect it, the more serious the issues will be.

Most birth defects are caused by genes or the environment during the fetal development. You can lower the risk of a birth deformity by speaking with a genetic counselor or a health professional, gaining knowledge about the background of your family, and having a conversation with the geneticist.

Structural birth defects alter how a part of the body appears or functions. They may range from the visible such as cleft lips and cleft palate, but also the invisibly, such as metabolic disorders or chromosome problems. Genetically-inherited conditions could be a form of birth defects with structural causes. Environmental factors, for instance, a lack folic acid, can cause neural tube defects that lead to the development of the spinal or brain not being correct.

Find More Evidence Than You Think

There are many medical procedures a pregnant woman can undergo to learn more about a potential birth defect. Amniocentesis is one of them, which entails a doctor taking a small amount of the fetal fluid to be tested. This test could reveal chromosomal anomalies, as well other health conditions such as infections (such as Zika or rubella) or genetic anomalies.

A doctor can examine the amniotic fluid, blood and tissues of a fetus for signs of birth defect. These tests are essential to finding out the reason for birth defects. They can also assist in determining how serious the prineville birth defect lawsuit defect could be and the consequences it could be having on a child's the years to come.

Certain birth defects may not be discovered until after the birth of a child or, in some rare cases, even as an adult. These conditions aren't readily apparent when they first appear and are usually only detected with diagnostic equipment. In these instances the medical expert witness must be familiar with the technology and have the education required to identify these flaws. A lawyer who has expertise should be able to pinpoint the appropriate expert for your case.

Hire an attorney who specializes in medical malpractice

A child born with a serious defect or a serious birth injury could completely alter the life of families. These injuries can cause permanent physical and mental problems that require medical attention for a lifetime.

Medical science is able to explain approximately 30 percent of birth defect cases but the rest remain unknown. Research has shown that certain chemicals and substances may cause birth defects, such as those present in prescription or over the counter medicines that mothers are prescribed as well as the toxic chemicals that working in some communities and in homes, or the contaminating groundwater and air.

Doctors must evaluate the dosage of medication taken by a pregnant mother and inform her of any potential risks for the baby. If they fail to fulfill this duty, they may be held liable for Vimeo birth defects caused by medication.

Doctors also have a responsibility to assess the safety of any procedure or device they recommend to pregnant women. This includes x-ray machines, surgical instruments, and other equipment. If a doctor makes a mistake using the equipment or fails to correctly calibrate the equipment, it could result in grave consequences for the baby. This is considered to be malpractice. It is essential to speak with a medical malpractice lawyer immediately should this happen. In certain states, you have only one year to file a complaint for medical malpractice and it's recommended 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. The conditions can be life-threatening and can cause a myriad of physical, emotional and cognitive difficulties. In a few instances, scientists have identified the cause to be a mother's exposure to prescription or over-the counter medications, toxins found in the environment as well as maternal infections, complications of pregnancy and delivery or a family medical history (like genetic diseases, sickle cell disease or PKU). However, in approximately 70% of all birth defects the cause is not known.

Certain birth defects, such as hearing loss or a clubfoot are easy to spot and can be diagnosed either at birth or during the first year of a child's life. Other conditions, birth defect lawyer such as heart defects or developmental and intellectual disabilities aren't as easy to identify and require specialized tests.

Researchers are trying to discover what causes birth defects and how they can be avoided. For example women who smoke, drink alcohol or take illegal drugs during pregnancy increase the chances of having a child with certain birth defects. Women with a family history involving inherited genetic disorders may want to consult a genetic counsellor before trying to be pregnant. They should also utilize the March of Dimes family health history form to collect data about medical conditions that are prevalent in their families and then share it with their doctor or genetic counselor.