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Ask Me Anything: 10 Responses To Your Questions About Birth Defect Attorney
What Causes a Birth Defect?

It's the last thing any expecting parents wants to hear: Their child could be born with a birth defect. These defects could be the result of events that occur during the fetal development and can affect the mental or physical health of your child.

Prenatal screening and newborn screening can be utilized by a health professional to identify certain birth defects during pregnancy. Other birth defects may be discovered only after the birth of your child, or after symptoms appear.

What was the reason for your child's deformity?

The root of the majority of birth defects is still unknown. However there are several things that increase a woman's risk of having a baby with defects. These include taking prescription drugs or taking certain medications prior to the birth, having a relative with birth defects or certain medical conditions, such as rheumatic heart disease. Women with a family history of these conditions are advised to speak with a genetic counselor prior to getting pregnant.

The extent to which a birth defect in a child causes serious issues or not is dependent on which body part is affected and the extent of the body part is affected. The more severe the birth defect the greater the severity of the issues.

The majority of birth defects are caused either by genes or the environment during fetal growth. The risk of having birth defects can be decreased by educating yourself about your family's history of health and genetic issues, talking to a genetic counselor and following prenatal guidelines.

Structural defects are birth issues that affect how an area of your body appears or performs. They can range from visible such as cleft lips and cleft palate to the invisibly, such as metabolic disorders or chromosome disorder. Genetic disorders that are inherited can be a type of birth defects that cause structural changes. Environmental factors, like an absence of folic acid can cause neural tube defects that cause the development of the spinal cord or brain not functioning as it should.

Gather More Evidence than You Think You Can.

There are a variety of medical procedures pregnant mothers can undergo to learn more about the possibility of a birth defect. One of them is amniocentesis which involves a healthcare provider taking a small amount of fetal fluid for testing. This procedure could reveal chromosomal variations, as well as other health conditions like infections (such as rubella or Zika) or genetic anomalies.


A doctor can examine the blood, amniotic liquid and the fetus's tissues to determine if there are signs of birth defect. These tests are crucial in determining the root of birth defects. They can also assist in determining how serious a birth defect could be and the impact it will have on a child in the years to come.

However certain birth defects could be unnoticed until the baby is born, or in rare cases, as an adult. This is because these conditions are not detectable until they are present, and often can only be diagnosed using diagnostic equipment. In these instances, the medical expert witness must be conversant with the latest technologies and possess the necessary training to be able to spot these defects. A seasoned medical malpractice attorney should be able to identify the most appropriate expert for your particular case.

Employ an attorney who specializes in medical malpractice

If a child is born with a serious birth defect or suffers a serious birth injury, it can completely turn a family's life upside down. These injuries can create life-long physical and emotional problems that often require a lifetime of medical care.

Medical science may explain around 30 percent of birth defect cases however, many other cases remain unknown. Research has revealed that certain chemicals and substances may cause birth defects, such as those present in prescription or over the counter medications a mother takes, the toxic chemicals at the heart of some communities and homes, or contaminated groundwater and air.

Doctors must evaluate the medication used by an expectant mother and inform her of any potential dangers to the fetus. If they fail to meet this duty, they may be held responsible for birth defects that are caused by medications.

birth defect lawyer albuquerque have the responsibility to determine the safety of any procedure or equipment they recommend to pregnant women. This includes x-ray equipment, surgical tools, and any other equipment. If a physician is negligent when using this equipment or fails to properly calibrate the equipment, it could result in serious consequences for the baby. This would be considered medical malpractice. If this occurs you should contact a medical negligence attorney as soon as you can. In some states, you are only allowed one year to file a medical malpractice case, so the faster you begin the process the more favorable.

Take the First Step

Birth defects affect one out of 33 newborns each year, and are a major reason for infant mortality. These conditions can be life-threatening, and can trigger permanent physical, cognitive and emotional issues. Researchers have in a few instances linked the causes of birth defects to the mother's exposures to prescription and over-the-counter drugs or environmental toxins, as well as complications of motherhood, infections, pregnancy and birth, family medical history, or genetic illnesses (like sickle cell disease PKU, or other genetic illnesses). However, in a majority of birth defects cases, the causes are unknown.

Certain birth defects, like hearing loss or clubfoot, are easy to spot and are easily diagnosed at birth or in the first year of a child's life. Other birth defects, such as heart defects or developmental and intellectual disabilities, are not as easily identified and require tests of a different kind.

Researchers are trying to figure out the causes of birth defects and how some of them can be prevented. Women who smoke, drink or take illegal drugs while pregnant are more likely to having a child with certain defects. Women with a family history of inherited genetic disorders should consider seeing a genetic counselor before trying to become pregnant. They should also use the March of Dimes family health history form to collect data about medical conditions that run in their families and then share it with their doctor or genetic counselor.

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