Known Teratogens
- angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, such as Zestril and Prinivil
- alcohol
- aminopterin
- androgens, such as methyltestosterone (Android)
- busulfan (Myleran)
- carbamazepine (Tegretol)
- chlorobiphenyls
- cocaine
- coumarins
- warfarin (Coumadin)
What are examples of teratogens and what do they do?
Teratogen: Any agent that can disturb the development of an embryo or fetus. Teratogens may cause a birth defect in the child. However, sometimes a medication necessary for health is also a teratogen: thyroid medication, blood thinners, and lithium are just a few examples.
What are common teratogens?
The four most common teratogens are tobacco, alcohol, medications and illegal drugs. Teratogens are substances that could harm a developing fetus by affecting growth and causing birth defects or death. The use of tobacco during pregnancy is dangerous because the smoke causes the blood vessels to constrict.
When are teratogens most harmful?
Time of exposure: Teratogens are most harmful early in pregnancy, starting about 10 to 14 days after conception to about 8 weeks into pregnancy. Genetics: Sometimes, the pregnant person's or the baby's unique genetics protect them or make them more vulnerable to certain teratogens.
What are some examples of environmental teratogens?
What are some examples of environmental teratogens?
- angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, such as Zestril and Prinivil.
- alcohol.
- aminopterin.
- androgens, such as methyltestosterone (Android)
- busulfan (Myleran)
- carbamazepine (Tegretol)
- chlorobiphenyls.
- cocaine.
What are 5 types of teratogens?
Teratogenic agents include infectious agents (rubella, cytomegalovirus, varicella, herpes simplex, toxoplasma, syphilis, etc.); physical agents (ionizing agents, hyperthermia); maternal health factors (diabetes, maternal PKU); environmental chemicals (organic mercury compounds, polychlorinated biphenyl or PCB, ...
What are the three most common teratogens?
Common teratogens include some medications, recreational drugs, tobacco products, chemicals, alcohol, certain infections, and in some cases, uncontrolled health problems in the birthing parent. Alcohol is a well-known teratogen that can cause harmful effects on the fetus after exposure at any time during pregnancy.
What are two teratogens?
Alcohol and smoking are two common teratogens. Exposure to either of them can lead to developmental anomalies, miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm labor, and a variety of other pregnancy complications.
What is the most famous teratogen?
Perhaps the most famous (or infamous) teratogen is thalidomide, a sedative that was taken by thousands of pregnant women during the early 1960s. Sometimes, however, the deleterious effect of a teratogen does not appear until many years after the mother has been exposed.
What are the 4 types of teratogens?
Additionally, teratogens may also affect pregnancies and cause complications such as preterm labors, spontaneous abortions, or miscarriages. Teratogens are classified into four types: physical agents, metabolic conditions, infection, and finally, drugs and chemicals.
When are teratogens most harmful during pregnancy?
The embryonic period, during which organogenesis takes place, occurs between implantation at around 14 days to around 60 days postconception. This is usually the most sensitive period to teratogenesis when exposure to a teratogenic agent has the greatest likelihood of producing a malformation.
What are the most common teratogens quizlet?
Terms in this set (11)Cocaine. ... Alcohol. ... Nicotine. ... Mercury. Mental retardation, blindness.Syphilis. Mental retardation, deafness, meningitis.Caffeine. Miscarriage, low birth weight.Radiation. Higher incidence of cancers, physical deformities.High water temperatures. Increased chance of Neural tube defects.More items...
What are the major categories of teratogens quizlet?
Drugs of abuse, prescription medications, environmental contaminants, and diseases.
What birth defects are caused by teratogens?
During this time, teratogens can cause neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Some organs are sensitive to teratogens during the whole pregnancy. This includes the baby's brain and spinal cord. Alcohol affects the brain and spinal cord, so it can cause harm at any time during pregnancy.
What medications are teratogens?
Teratogenic drugs and birth defectsACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitors.angiotensin II antagonist.isotretinoin (an acne drug)alcohol.cocaine.high doses of vitamin A.lithium.male hormones.More items...
Is alcohol a teratogen?
Both alcohol and its primary metabolite, acetaldehyde, are teratogenic. Exposure during pregnancy may lead to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), and this is said to occur in a substantial proportion of infants born to mothers who are chronic, heavy daily drinkers.
Is stress a teratogen?
Maternal psychological stress has essentially been conceptualized as a teratogen, that is, an agent that can generate deleterious perinatal and/or developmental outcomes.
What are the most common teratogens quizlet?
Terms in this set (11)Cocaine. ... Alcohol. ... Nicotine. ... Mercury. Mental retardation, blindness.Syphilis. Mental retardation, deafness, meningitis.Caffeine. Miscarriage, low birth weight.Radiation. Higher incidence of cancers, physical deformities.High water temperatures. Increased chance of Neural tube defects.More items...
What are teratogens quizlet?
What is a teratogen? An agent that causes birth defects by altering the course of typical development.
Does lead paint contain teratogens?
Painting or remodeling during pregnancy can pose a number of risks. Lead, a known teratogen (a substance that can cause birth defects), was used in paint until the 1970s. Removing old lead paint can be a very dangerous activity because lead dust gets released into the air and potentially inhaled.
What is teratogen in chemistry?
A teratogen is a drug or other substance capable of interfering with the development of an embryo fetus that may lead to birth defects or developmental malformations.
What are teratogenic substances?
Teratogens. Teratogens are substances that may produce physical or functional defects in the human embryo or fetus after the pregnant woman is exposed to the substance. Alcohol and cocaine are examples of such substances. Exposure to the teratogen affects the fetus or embryo in a variety of ways, ...
Where did the term "teratogen" come from?
The word teratogen originates from the Greek word for monster , teratos. Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, a physician from Paris, France, defined it in 1832 in Histoire générale et particuliére des anomalies de l'organisation chez l'homme et les animaux (General and Particular History of Structural Monstrosities in Man and Animals). People had sought explanations for abnormal human and animal development, however, for centuries, and they had developed different theories about the causes for the abnormalities. In Babylon, many said that infants with congenital malformations, or structural abnormalities present at birth, were constellations in human forms as well as fortune-tellers. Many early Hebrews said that abnormal development resulted from the deformed person's association with the devil. Aristotle, who lived in Athens, Greece in the fourth century, B.C., deemed birth defects as disturbances in reproduction rather than supernatural occurrences. Aristotle and Hippocrates, a physician who practiced in Greece in the fifth century B.C., claimed that a pregnant woman's experiences or emotions, which became called maternal impressions, can affect the formation of the fetus. The theory of maternal impressions persisted until the early 1900s, despite evidence to the contrary by John Hunter, a surgeon in Scotland in the late eighteenth century.
How do teratogens act?
Teratogens act via a specific mechanism on developing cells and tissues to initiate a cascade of altered developmental events.
How do teratogens affect the fetus?
Teratogens may affect the embryo or fetus in a number of ways, causing physical malformations, problems in the behavioral or emotional development of the child, and decreased intellectual quotient (IQ) in the child. Additionally, teratogens may also affect pregnancies and cause complications such as preterm labors, spontaneous abortions, ...
When was the FDA's teratogenicity standard created?
In 1966 , the FDA issued Guidelines for Reproductive Studies for Safety Evaluation of Drugs for Human Use, which created a standard for evaluating teratogenicity and was issued in many countries.
Who discovered teratogens?
Following Meckel, scientists in the nineteenth century began experimental studies to detect teratogens. Etienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in Paris, France, experimented on chick eggs by subjecting them to pricking, inversion, jarring, and abnormally high or low temperatures to study the resulting malformations; he believed that certain manipulations could invoke specific deformations. Although deformities materialized, Saint-Hilaire didn't identify their exact causes. His son Isidore then reported the results of the experiments between the years of 1832 and 1837 in his three-volume Traité de Tératologie (Treatise on Teratology). Other scientists following Saint-Hilaire also experimented with teratogens, notably Camille Dareste in France, who successfully produced abnormalities in chick embryos during twenty-two years of experiments until his death in 1899.
What are the four types of abnormal development?
Meckel also categorized abnormal development into four basic types: reduced or absent body parts (insufficient generative energy), enlarged or multiple body parts (excessive energy), aberration of form and of position, and hermaphroditism, which included deformities such as ambiguous genitalia.
What is a teratogen?
A teratogen can be anything that the mother can pass to her unborn child through the umbilical cord or that affects the physical and chemical make-up of the mother's body, to the detriment of her embryo.
Can a drug be a teratogen?
Any drug can be a teratogen, depending on how they affect the developing embryo. Although it is common knowledge that illegal drugs, alcohol and cigarettes all have the potential to harm the development of a fetus, the same can be true for over the counter drugs.
What is a teratogen?
A teratogen is something that can cause birth defects or abnormalities in a developing embryo or fetus upon exposure. Teratogens include some medications, recreational drugs, tobacco products, chemicals, alcohol, certain infections, and in some cases, health problems such as uncontrolled diabetes in pregnant people. Exposure to a teratogen can occur through ingestion or environmental exposure during pregnancy.
What are the most important facts to know about teratogens?
Alcohol is a well-known teratogen that can cause harmful effects on the fetus after exposure at any time during pregnancy. Chickenpox is a teratogen that can potentially cause congenital varicella syndrome or neonatal varicella, depending on the timing of exposure. At this time, there is not enough evidence to determine the exact relationship between BPA exposure and fetal development, but most health care providers recommend limited exposure to BPA during pregnancy. Caffeine is not considered to be a teratogen, but it can have negative effects on the fetus if consumed in large quantities. There are many other potential teratogens, both known and unknown, and if one is uncertain about exposure to them during pregnancy , it is recommended to seek medical counsel.
Is BPA a teratogen?
When exposed to heat, the BPA can leach into food and be ingested. At this time, it is unclear whether BPA has teratogenic effects on the fetus. Recent studies conducted on mice hypothesize that BPA exposure during the last trimester of pregnancy can cause behavioral changes in the newborn after birth. However, no studies have been conducted on human pregnancies. More research is required to clarify the exact relationship of BPA exposure and its effect on the developing fetus. Most health care providers, however, do recommend limiting exposure to BPA during pregnancy.
Is caffeine a teratogen?
Caffeine is not considered to be a teratogen. It is, however, a stimulant and diuretic, which can cause an increase in an individual’s blood pressure and heart rate. If consumed during pregnancy, caffeine can cross the placenta and can have similar effects on the developing fetus’s blood pressure and heart rate. Current recommendations for caffeine consumption during pregnancy suggest limiting daily intake to 200 milligrams.
How long does it take for a teratogen to develop?
Teratogens can begin affecting the developing embryo as early as 10 to 14 days after conception . During embryonic development, there are periods when the developing organ systems show more sensitivity to teratogens.
What happens if you are exposed to teratogens?
Specifically, if exposure to a teratogen occurs during the first 3.5 to 4.5 weeks of gestation, a neural tube defect, such as spina bifida or anencephaly, may result. Various agents have been determined to not cause birth defects and are known as non-teratogenic agents.
Is chickenpox a teratogen?
Chickenpox can have teratogenic effects on a fetus. If a pregnant person develops chickenpox in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, there is a slight risk of a rare, but serious, birth defect known as congenital varicella syndrome. A fetus with congenital varicella syndrome is at risk of developing skin scars, abnormalities of the eyes, legs, arms, and brain, as well as gastrointestinal problems. If a pregnant person develops chickenpox around the time of delivery, the newborn may be at risk of a life-threatening condition called neonatal varicella, which can result in severe or fatal illness of the newborn within a few days of delivery.
What Is a Teratogen?
A teratogen is any agent that disrupts a baby's development when a person is exposed to it during pregnancy. Known teratogens include alcohol, smoking, toxic chemicals, radiation, viruses, some maternal health conditions, and certain prescription drugs.
When do teratogens cause the most damage?
Teratogens can cause harm from conception to delivery but often cause the most damage in the first 8 weeks of pregnancy.
How long does it take for a teratogen to harm a fetus?
Amount: The amount of harm to a fetus increases the more the pregnant person consumes or is exposed to a teratogen. Duration of exposure: The longer a fetus is exposed to a teratogen, the more dangerous the effects. Time of exposure: Teratogens are most harmful early in pregnancy, starting about 10 to 14 days after conception to about 8 weeks ...
How to get pregnant with teratogens?
Because teratogens cause harm starting around conception, it's a good idea to take these steps while trying to get pregnant or first learning you are pregnant: 15. Avoid alcohol. There is no known safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy. 3. Avoid or quit cigarettes.
Can teratogens cause miscarriage?
For instance, the risk of miscarriage is higher when you smoke or drink alcohol or are exposed to radiation and certain toxic chemicals. 4 These and other teratogens are also linked to premature birth . Additionally, 4% to 5% of birth defects are caused by teratogens.
Do fraternal twins have the same teratogenic effects?
This is suggested by fraternal twins exposed to the same prenatal environment, but they do not experience the same terato genic effects.
Is alcohol a teratogen?
Alcohol: One of the most commonly used teratogens is alcohol, and because half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, it is recommended that women of child-bearing age take great caution against drinking alcohol when not using birth control or when pregnant (CDC, 2005).
What Is A teratogen?
- About 4% to 5% of birth defects are caused by exposure to a teratogen.14The risk of teratogens to a developing fetus is often early in the pregnancy—usually the first trimester and often before implantation. Of course, the impact also depends on the level of exposure. If a teratogen has th…
Is Alcohol A teratogen?
Is Chickenpox A teratogen?
Is BPA A teratogen?
Is Caffeine A teratogen?
What Are The Most Important Facts to Know About Teratogens?
What Is A teratogen?
Why They Are Important
Types of Teratogens
- A teratogen is a substance that can cause abnormalities or birth defects in a developing fetus. Common teratogens include some medications, recreational drugs, tobacco products, chemicals, alcohol, certain infections, and in some cases, uncontrolled health problems in the birthing parent. Alcohol is a well-known teratogen that can cause harmful eff...
How to Avoid Teratogens
Regulation of Teratogens
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