TERATOGEN

Objectives

You will be able to… Analyze environmental factors that affect fetal

development Determine ways to prevent some birth defects Create an informational advertisement to new

parents about common teratogens.

Teratogen:

Anything that increases the risk of prenatal abnormalities

Behavioral Teratogen: causes no physical defect, but

affects the brain,making the child hyperactive,

antisocial, orlearning-disabled.

Types of Teratogens

Prescription Drugs Pollutants Social/Illegal Drugs Disease/Viruses Radiation/Chemical Warfare Malnutrition Stress

Determining the extent of damage to the fetus depends on…….

1. Critical Time of Exposure If exposure occurs during the embryonic period:

will result in major impairments and malformations

Exposure during the fetal period: results in growth impairments of the brain,

eyes and genitals

2. Duration of Exposure

The length of time the mother is exposed to the

teratogen greatly influences the effects on the fetus.

Example:

The mother visits a friend’s house where people

smoke inside. She only stays over for a few hours.

The mother lives in a house where people smoke inside. She is exposed everyday.

3. Genetic Susceptibility- Genes influence the effects of a teratogen:

Example:

The way the mother metabolizes a certain drug will determine

how much the fetus will be exposed to it.

THINK, WRITE, PAIR, SHAREThink of some examples of TIME (how many weeks

gestation) and DURATION (how long was the

mother exposed to the toxins) What kinds of toxins could someone be

exposed to over a long period of time (When)? How long? Which areas of the body would be affected? Why?

What kinds of toxins might need only a little bit of time to cause damage? How long? Which areas? Why?

What?

When ?

Which area?

How long?

Why?

1

2

3

4

5

LEFT HAND SIDE OF NOTEBOOK

Teratogen Chart

Thalidomide(prescription drug)

Was a prescription drug sold mainly during the late 1950’s early 1960’s, used to alleviate morning sickness.

Critical period for exposure is during organogenesis

Specificity of malformations is linked to time of exposure:

35-37 days- no ears39-41 days- no arms41-43 days- no uterus45-47 days- no tibia47-49 days triphalangeal thumbshttp://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8ucuLpECNw

Industrial Chemicals

Cleansers, varnishes, lacquers, resins, leads, pesticides, herbicides (agent orange) and mercury (Minimata Disease)

http://fyiliving.com/videos/fish-to-avoid-during-pregnancy/

Illegal Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco

Low birth weight Born addicted to drugs Withdrawal symptoms

Fetal Alcohol syndrome

Behavioral problems/impulse control

Radiation/Chemical Warfare

Maternal Disease Rubella Herpes simplex, AIDS Chickenpox If the mother has these diseases-

can cause serious

malformations, mental

retardation and miscarriage or

Infant mortality.

Other Maternal Influences Malnutrition (lack of necessary

vitamins, minerals and proteins)FOLIC ACID- Is a B-vitamin that helps

create new cells.

Spina Bifida http://

www.qualityhealth.com/pregnancy-videos/preventing-spina-bifida-newborns-folic-acid

Stress/Anxiety Altered Metabolism (Diabetes

mellitus)

ACTIVITY Go to www.otispregnancy.org Click on “FACTSHEETS” in the right toolbar Choose 1 factsheet to research Make an informative flyer including:

Definition- 5pts Common reason a woman would be exposed to this

potential teratogen- 5pts In your own words: Can this potential teratogen cause

birth defects?- 5pts Conclusion: What would you suggest if someone asked

you if exposure to this potential teratogen was ok? – 5pts

20 POINTS TOTAL!

References http://a.abcnews.com/Health/popup?id=4610286&contentIndex=1&page=

2&start=false http://www.kianh.org.uk/agentorange.htm http://hidhist.wordpress.com/category/gulf-war-syndrome/ http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/fact

sheets/ft_child.pdf http://www.who.int/ceh/risks/en/ http://carolguze.com/text/442-13-teratogens.shtml http://www.pixelpress.org/chernobyl/index.html http://books.elsevier.com/companions/0240804155/crack/crack1.htm http://www.whale.to/a/gulf32.html http://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/Defect/rubella.htm (awesome

website!!) Slater, A. & Lewis, M. (2007). Introduction to infant development. New

York: Oxford University Press.