can carbon monoxide cause a miscarriage

Can carbon monoxide poisoning during pregnancy cause birth defects?

No pattern of birth defects have been linked to carbon monoxide poisoning. There are reports of carbon monoxide poisoning in pregnant women causing premature birth, fetal death or neurologic deficits and fetal brain damage. This is thought to be from large amounts of carbon monoxide in the mother’s blood.

Does carbon monoxide exposure affect sperm production?

Animal studies show carbon monoxide exposure can cause reduced sperm formation. There are no studies data in humans. In general, exposures that fathers have are unlikely to increase risks to a pregnancy.

Is carbon monoxide a leading cause of poisoning?

Abstract Importance: Carbon monoxide (CO) is the leading cause of poisoning in the United States and is associated with high maternal and fetal mortality rates. Given the nonspecific signs and symptoms of toxicity, cases may go unsuspected or attributed to other etiologies.

What are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?

Those in whom carbon monoxide poisoning leads to unconsciousness. Loss of consciousness indicates more severe exposure. Depending on the degree and length of exposure, carbon monoxide poisoning can cause:

Can carbon monoxide affect pregnancy?

Monoxide carbon exposure during pregnancy can cause severe damage, including intrauterine hypoxia, serious neurological damage, and even fetal death. CO dissolved in maternal plasma crosses the placenta by passive diffusion and thus combines with fetal haemoglobin.

What poison can cause a miscarriage?

Listeriosis is a kind of food poisoning caused by Listeria bacteria. During pregnancy, you can pass the bacteria to your baby. This can cause problems, including: Miscarriage.

Can gas fumes cause a miscarriage?

We know that people who have been exposed to waste anesthetic gases have an increased risk of miscarriage.

How does carbon monoxide affect babies?

Symptoms can include headache, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. If your child has signs of CO poisoning, take your child into fresh air right away and call 911. Oxygen therapy is the main treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning.

When do most miscarriages happen?

Most miscarriages happen in the first trimester before the 12th week of pregnancy. Miscarriage in the second trimester (between 13 and 19 weeks) happens in 1 to 5 in 100 (1 to 5 percent) pregnancies. As many as half of all pregnancies may end in miscarriage.

How do you know if you are pregnant without a test?

A note from Cleveland Clinic Things like missing your period, sore or tender breasts, feeling more tired and nausea (morning sickness) are common symptoms of early pregnancy. Some people have symptoms of pregnancy before they miss their period. Take an at-home pregnancy test if you think you might be pregnant.

Does carbon monoxide pass the placenta?

CO passes through the placenta either by passive diffusion,13 or by the facilitated mechanism of a carrier. Placental CO diffusion capacity increases with gestational age and in proportion to fetal weight. This is attributable to the rate of placental blood flow and maternal haemoglobin concentration.

What is a high carbon monoxide level in pregnancy?

Women (smokers and non smokers) with a CO test reading of 4ppm or higher will be referred to the Smoking in Pregnancy Midwife and the NHS Stop Smoking Services.

How long does it take to get carbon monoxide poisoning?

For instance, a concentration of 400 ppm will cause headaches in 1 to 2 hours. In 3 to 5 hours the same concentration can lead to unconsciousness and death.

What are two warning signs of carbon monoxide poisoning?

The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. CO symptoms are often described as “flu-like.” If you breathe in a lot of CO it can make you pass out or kill you.

Can smelling gas harm unborn child?

Natural gas is pharmacologically inert but at concentrations greater than 80% may produce asphyxia and possibly central nervous system depression. No studies have been located concerning the fetal effects of maternal natural gas poisoning in pregnancy.

What does carbon monoxide smell like?

Carbon monoxide gas is colourless and does not smell, so you cannot tell if it is around you. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include: headache. dizziness.

What is toxic to a fetus?

Avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, and albacore tuna. Mercury can harm your baby's nervous system. Dry cleaning solvents, pesticides, and paint remover. Fumes from these chemicals can harm your baby.

What happens if a pregnant woman is poisoned?

If you get food poisoning during pregnancy, it's important to let your doctor know right away. Food safety is an important issue for pregnant women, for good reason. In the worst cases, it can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or premature delivery.

Does all food poisoning cause miscarriage?

Most of the time, it won't. Some cases of food poisoning are particularly dangerous to your baby, though. Listeria, a bacteria that may be present in uncooked foods and soft, unpasteurized cheeses, may cause miscarriage, premature delivery, infection or death to the newborn.

What toxins should be avoided during pregnancy?

Chemicals to avoid when you're pregnant or breastfeedingPesticides and herbicides. Some pesticides (bug killers) and herbicides (weed killers) are known to affect developing and newborn babies. ... Cleaning products. ... Paint. ... Mosquito repellent. ... Mercury. ... Arsenic-treated timber. ... Nail polish. ... Paint and lead-based products.More items...

What happens when you get too much carbon monoxide?

When too much carbon monoxide is in the air, your body replaces the oxygen in your red blood cells with carbon monoxide. This can lead to serious tissue damage, or even death.

What to do if you think you have carbon monoxide poisoning?

If you think you or someone you're with may have carbon monoxide poisoning, get into fresh air and seek emergency medical care.

Can carbon monoxide poisoning affect children?

This makes unborn babies more susceptible to harm from carbon monoxide poisoning. Children. Young children take breaths more frequently than adults do, which may make them more susceptible to carbon monoxide poisoning. Older adults. Older people who experience carbon monoxide poisoning may be more likely to develop brain damage.

Can carbon monoxide be produced from a charcoal grill?

Various fuel-burning appliances and engines produce carbon monoxide. The amount of carbon monoxide produced by these sources usually isn't cause for concern. But if they're used in a closed or partially closed space — cooking with a charcoal grill indoors, for example — the carbon monoxide can build to dangerous levels.

Is carbon monoxide poisoning dangerous?

Loss of consciousness. Carbon monoxide poisoning can be particularly dangerous for people who are sleeping or intoxicated. People may have irreversible brain damage or even die before anyone realizes there's a problem.

Can smoke inhalation cause carbon monoxide poisoning?

Smoke inhalation during a fire also can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

Can carbon monoxide cause death?

This can lead to serious tissue damage, or even death. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas produced by burning gasoline, wood, propane, charcoal or other fuel. Improperly ventilated appliances and engines, particularly in a tightly sealed or enclosed space, may allow carbon monoxide to accumulate to dangerous levels.

Why does carbon monoxide cause brain damage?

A small study has shown that fetal death and brain damage only happen when carbon monoxide levels in the mother are high enough to make her lose consciousness (to pass out).

How does carbon monoxide enter the body?

Carbon monoxide can enter the body through the skin or by breathing it in through the lungs. What is carbon monoxide poisoning? Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs when too much carbon monoxide gets into the body. When this happens, the blood carries less oxygen to the organs. This can cause damage to the organs.

What to do when a carbon monoxide detector goes off?

Most cases of carbon monoxide poisoning occur in the home. Installing a carbon monoxide detect or is the best way to detect levels of carbon mon oxide in your home that could put you at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning.

How do you know if you have carbon monoxide poisoning?

Some symptoms can include headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, upset stomach, and dizziness. More severe symptoms are confusion, stumbling or falling, chest pain, sleepiness and loss of consciousness.

What happens if you smoke while pregnant?

When you smoke or are around others that smoke, you have a higher levels of carbon monoxide in your blood. This means there is less oxygen in your blood. The baby needs a good oxygen supply to grow. You should not smoke or be around others that smoke during pregnancy.

What is the risk of having a baby with a birth defect?

In every pregnancy, a woman starts out with a 3-5% chance of having a baby with a birth defect. This is called her background risk. No pattern of birth defects have been linked to carbon monoxide poisoning. There are reports of carbon monoxide poisoning in pregnant women causing premature birth, fetal death or neurologic deficits and fetal brain damage. This is thought to be from large amounts of carbon monoxide in the mother’s blood. This causes the baby to receive less oxygen. A small study has shown that fetal death and brain damage only happen when carbon monoxide levels in the mother are high enough to make her lose consciousness (to pass out). However, there are also reports of normal outcomes in pregnancies in which the mother had carbon monoxide poisoning. Timing of exposure and amount of exposure can lead to different effects in the pregnancy.

Where is carbon monoxide found?

Small amounts of carbon monoxide are normally found in our bodies and in the air we breathe. Large amounts of carbon monoxide gas can be released from poorly working heaters, furnaces, grills, kerosene stoves, or other fuel burning appliances and automobile exhaust.

What is the diagnosis of carbon monoxide poisoning?

Diagnosis is made based on initial history and physical evaluation and assessment of environmental CO levels; presenting carboxyhemoglobin levels may be poor indicators of severity of disease.

Can CO be attributed to other etiologies?

Given the nonspecific signs and symptoms of toxicity, cases may go unsuspected or attributed to other etiologies. As CO adversely affects both mother and fetus, it is important for practitioners to recognize and treat poisoning in a timely manner.

Is carbon monoxide poisoning a high degree of suspicion?

Carbon monoxide poisoning requires a high degree of suspicion. Diagnosis is made based on initial history and physical evaluation and assessment of environmental CO levels; presenting carboxyhemoglobin levels may be poor indicators of severity of disease. Oxygen therapy should be initiated promptly …. Carbon monoxide poisoning requires ...

What are the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning in pregnancy?

Carbon monoxide poisoning can lead to suffocation and death of the mother and baby.

What if I have been exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide during pregnancy?

Carbon monoxide poisoning at any stage during pregnancy is likely to carry a significant risk of damage to the baby’s brain and other organs. It is therefore important that pregnant women who are exposed are assessed medically and, if necessary, treated as soon as possible.

What are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?

Symptoms of exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide include headache, skin flushing, nausea, tiredness, weakness, problems with balance and co-ordination, memory problems, flu-like illness and dizziness. Breathlessness, chest pain, seizures or loss of consciousness suggest carbon monoxide poisoning.

Can carbon monoxide poisoning in pregnancy cause preterm birth or my baby to be small at birth (low birth weight)?

There are no published studies that have investigated the likelihood of having a preterm birth (<37 weeks) or a baby with a low birth weight (<2,500 g) following carbon monoxide poisoning in pregnancy. There are case reports of babies being born early and with low birth weights (because of their early delivery) to mothers with carbon monoxide poisoning. However, in many cases these deliveries were induced early due to worries about the health of the mother and/or baby. It is currently unclear whether exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide in pregnancy can lead to labour starting early naturally, or may reduce the growth of the baby in the womb.

Will my baby need extra monitoring during pregnancy?

As part of their routine antenatal care most women will be offered a scan at around 20 weeks of pregnancy to look for birth defects and to check the baby’s growth.

How to avoid high carbon monoxide levels?

This can be achieved by ensuring all household gas and solid fuel appliances are installed and regularly maintained or serviced by an appropriately qualified professional. This includes having chimneys in households where solid fuel is burned swept regularly, installing household carbon monoxide alarms, never using barbecues in confined/unventilated spaces (including tents or inside) and not leaving cars running in confined spaces such as garages. Warning signs of a problem include a gas fire burning with a yellow flame instead of blue, sooty marks on the covers of gas fires or yellow/brown stains around boilers, stoves or fires. If the appliance is not burning properly, carbon monoxide levels may be increased. In such cases, the appliance should be switched off immediately and investigated by an appropriately qualified professional.

What is carbon monoxide?

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas produced by incompletely burned gas and solid fuels such as coal, coke, barbecue charcoal, and wood. Inhaled carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen that can be carried in the bloodstream. Exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide can therefore result in illness or death.

Overview

Symptoms

Causes

Risk Factors

Complications

• Depending on the degree and length of exposure, carbon monoxide poisoning can cause: 1. Permanent brain damage 2. Damage to your heart, possibly leading to life-threatening cardiac complications 3. Fetal death or miscarriage 4. Death

See more on mayoclinic.org

Prevention