Negative Effects Of Having A Teratogen

Alcohol is not the solution; it’s proven that those who consume alcohol have a greater risk to have a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome. Signs and symptoms are different on most babies but may include different physical defects as intellectual or cognitive disabilities and problems coping and functioning with daily life. Distinctive facial features, deformity of joins, vision and hearing problems, poor coordination and valance, poor memory, poor social skills and difficulty planning or working towards a goal are just some of those problems.

“Alcohol, like other teratogenic agents, is associated with a spectrum of malformations related to dose and timing. The multiplicity of effects suggests that alcohol can alter development throughout gestation” (Rosett and Weiner 65). Therefore because it is not known when in fetal development when alcohol causes neurological and physical defects no amount of alcohol is safe. The best way to prevent FAS is by abstaining from the use of alcohol products. This sounds so simple, but for many women it is not. Usually infants born to mothers who are alcoholics have little to no prenatal care. With no prenatal care a mother who consumes alcohol is not warned or told of the dangers of drinking. A lot of these children end up in foster care being shuttled back and forth between families, due to the behavioral and physical problems

The term “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorders” (FASDS) is used to describe the numerous problems associated with exposure to alcohol before birth. Each year in the United States, up to 40,000 babies are born with “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorders” (FASDs) (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). Additionally, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorders (FASDs) comes with effects that range from mild to severe. These effects include mental retardation; learning, emotional and behavioral problems; and defects involving the heart, face and other organs. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, the patterns of drinking that place a baby at greatest risk for FASDS are binge drinking and drinking seven or more drinks per week (Surgeon General). However, FASDS can occur in babies of women who drink less. There is no way of measuring how much alcohol one can consume before defects occur, and no proof that small amounts of alcohol are safe. As little as one drink a day can cause a baby some degree of harm and interfere with their normal development.

Among factors to consider, alcohol consumption is frequently associated with drug abuse, smoking, and malnutrition. All of these factors can cause serious harm to the developing embryo of a child. It is difficult for researchers to decide which effects are caused by alcohol alone.

A teratogen is any agent or factor that can disrupt the development of an embryo or fetus, which may cause a birth defect or malformation. Whether it is a medication, disease or drug, when the mother is exposed the chances of problems arising with the baby increase. Only ten to fourteen days after conception teratogens can affect the fetus. At that stage in the pregnancy the egg has already been fertilized and attached to the uterus. This is known as the embryonic stage where if health isn’t a priority complications can occur. At this point the mother and embryo share a common blood supply therefore anything the mother does affects the embryo. This is also the stage in which most miscarriages occur. There are numerous teratogens but two

Alcohol is a teratogen, meaning that is it a substance capable of interfering with the development of an embryo or fetus, causing birth defects (Teratogen). Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, or FASD, is a non-diagnostic umbrella term describing the varying range of effects that can occur as a result of prenatal alcohol exposure. These may include physical, mental, behavioral, and learning disabilities, or a combination of these (Facts). A number of factors are involved in determining the outcome of the child, including the dose and pattern of drinking, the timing of exposure, genetic factors, the nutritional status of the mother, and the use of other toxic substances . Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, or FAS, lies on the extreme end of the

The timing of prenatal exposure to the teratogen, the dosage of the teratogen, and the individual differences in sensitivity to a particular teratogen. Alcohol is one of the most common and preventable causes of birth abnormalities. The amount of alcohol consumed during pregnancy, the timing of drinking, and individual differences in sensitivity to alcohol all play a role of the extent and nature of effects caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol. A child whose mother drank during pregnancy is likely to have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Children with FASD are likely to have behavioral problems and lower IQs, which results in them struggling in school and contribute to poor social skills. Drinking during pregnancy can also compromise physical

Many studies have established that a developing organism is susceptible to exogenous and endogenous factors during certain stage of the organism’s development. The effects of ethyl alcohol or ethanol on the developing fetus, which manifest a variety of characteristic abnormalities, are collectively called Fetal alcohol Syndrome. Ethanol exposure to the fetus causes various malformation ranging from the cellular to the organismic levels with the eventual results frequently being different levels of mental retardation (3).

Consuming alcohol while pregnant can have a considerable life-long impact on the child, but despite this being common knowledge, fetal alcohol syndrome, FASD, continues to be a prevalent cause of developmental delays. Several social and environmental conditions can help predict the likelihood of a woman consuming alcohol while pregnant. Depending on many factors, the severity of the impact varies; however, when a child does have FASD, they face serious lifelong impairments and deficits. There are many interventions that may help children with these impacts. Yet, much more research and time is needed to analyze results.

As previously mentioned, environmental factors, such as exposure to taratogens, can affect the development of the unborn child. Broderick and Blewitt (2105) define a teratogen as “substances or agents that can cross the placental barrier and produce fetal deformities when taken or absorbed by the mother during pregnancy” (p.619). These substances include drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, pollution, stress hormones, poor nutrition, and diseases, such as AIDS. Consumption of drugs and/or alcohol can lead to low birth weight, as well as, physical, cognitive, and behavioral abnormalities. Furthermore, more recent studies are showing that exposure to pollutants can affect an individual’s development. For example, a study of the

Consuming alcohol during pregnancy results in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). The spectrum of FAS ranges from barely detectable to severe functional and cognitive birth defects. In the United States approximately 9.1 out of 1,000 live births exhibit some degree of FAS spectrum. Although excessive consumption of alcohol is considered a human teratogen the biochemical mechanism and the developmental

" Prenatal exposure to alcohol can damage the developing fetus and is the leading preventable cause of birth defects and intellectual and neurodevelopmental disabilities" read the

Alcohol is a type of teratogen, which is an agent that can caused birth defects to occur. The timing and the amount of exposure to a teratogen is crucial when it comes to a pregnancy. A mother’s use of alcohol can greatly affect an unborn child. The timing at which the effect of teratogens varies from person to person, but the time when the teratogens have the largest effect typically occurs during the periods of rapid prenatal development. Mothers who are pregnant, or who wish to become pregnant, should avoid consuming alcohol because the teratogens can affect the mother’s eggs. It is true that there are certain stages in the pregnancy where a certain amount of exposure to teratogens will only have little impact, but there is still some form of result. When

?Fetus alcohol Syndrome is a life long impairment for the children effected. Early identification and intervention can help to improve the overall functioning level of the child by maximizing strengths and preventing social and emotional problems. Many of the affected children, perhaps most of the affected children, however, are not receiving needed services at an early age.? (Poisoned in the womb, p. 50)

I believe your description of Teratogen was correct and precise. I also think the effects of Teratogen were clear. The websites you chose seem to be a good election. However, I’m not quite clear about the relation with some of them with alcohol-exposed as a Teratogen because for example one website was about autism and another one was about dissociative disorder. I assume you are referring this as a result of alcohol-exposed and if so maybe you could point out these on the effects in addition to the ones you have them already. I definitely agree with you that education is the key because if we don’t know the consequences of Teratogens we might regret