Search Results for: congenital defects

According to the National Vital Statistics Reports, around 10 percent of women in the United States smoke while they are pregnant. This is not only bad for the mother, but it can potentially harm her baby, as well. Research has found that smoking can drastically reduce the chances of having a healthy pregnancy and baby because of chemicals present in the cigarette smoke.

While it is relatively rare for pregnant women to contract a case of the shingles, expectant moms who do get the shingles or the related infection chicken pox risk giving birth to a child with congenital defects, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The risks to an unborn child is usually the greatest during the first 30 weeks of pregnancy. Women with HIV or other autoimmune disorders are more susceptible to contracting shingles. Also, children born to moms who suffered from shingles while pregnant are much more likely to have chicken pox early in life.

Sonograms, commonly referred to as ultrasounds during pregnancy, provide an invaluable look at your growing baby. But the use, especially for moms who must have several during pregnancy, does bring about questions and concerns regarding the safety of this medical technology. To put your mind at ease, know that after more than five decades of use, the normal use of sonograms for medical purposes has never been associated with any harmful effects on fetuses, according to the American Institute of Ultrasound Medicine (AIUM). However, the AIUM does concede that there is always a chance of learning about adverse effects in the future. Therefore, non-medical use of sonograms should be used with caution.