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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 that an expecting parents wants to hear: their child may be born with a defect. These birth defects are caused the things that happen in the fetal period and can affect your child's mental or physical health.

A health professional can identify birth defects during pregnancy using prenatal tests or newborn screening. However other birth defects might not be discovered until after the birth of your child or later, when they begin to show symptoms.

What caused your child's deformity?

Many birth defects remain undiscovered. There are birth defect lawyer roseville that can increase the risk of being pregnant with a child with a birth defect. One of them is taking certain medications or drugs before getting pregnant or having a family history of birth defects, or having certain medical conditions such as rheumatic disease. Women who have an ancestral history of these disorders are advised to speak with an expert on genetics prior to becoming pregnant.

The severity of a birth defect in a child depends on the body part that is affected and how severe the damage. The more severe the defect is, the more severe the problems will be.

The majority of birth defects are caused by genes or the environment during fetal development. You can reduce your risk of developing a birth defect by talking to a genetic counsellor and learning about the health background of your family and talking with the geneticist.

Structural defects are birth problems that affect the way an element of your body appears or functions. They may be visible, like cleft lips or Cleft palettes, but also invisible, such as chromosome disorders or metabolic conditions. Inherited genetic conditions are one kind of birth defect that is structural, while environmental factors such as an absence of folic acids can cause neural tube defects that can result in the brain or spinal cord not developing properly.

Get More Evidence than You Think

There are a variety of medical procedures pregnant women undergo to find out more about the possibility of a birth defect. One of them is amniocentesis which entails a doctor taking a small amount of the fetal fluid to be tested. This procedure can reveal chromosomal abnormalities and other health conditions such as infections (such as Zika or rubella) or genetic anomalies.

A doctor can examine the blood, amniotic liquid and the tissues of a fetus to determine if there are signs of birth defect. These tests are essential in finding out the causes of birth defects. They also help determine the severity of birth defect and its effect on a child's life.

Certain birth defects may not be identified until after a baby's birth or, in a few instances even after becoming an adult. This is because the issues are not readily apparent until they are present and are often detected using diagnostic equipment. In these cases, the medical expert witness must be conversant with the technology and have the knowledge and experience required to be able identify these defects. An experienced medical malpractice lawyer will be able to identify the appropriate specialist for your particular case.

Hire an attorney for Medical Malpractice

When a child is born with a serious birth defect or suffers a severe birth injury, it can completely turn a family's life upside down. These injuries can cause long-lasting physical and psychological challenges, often requiring a lifetime of medical care.

While medical science can identify the causes of about 30% of birth defects, others remain unexplained. Research has shown certain chemicals and substances, like those found in prescription or over the counter medications taken by a mother or in toxic chemicals found in the community and in homes or groundwater that is contaminated air, can cause birth defects.

Doctors are required to evaluate the medications taken by the mother-to-be and inform her of any possible risks to the baby. If they fail to fulfill this duty, they can be held accountable for birth defects caused by medication.

Doctors also have a responsibility to examine the safety of any procedure or device they recommend for pregnant women. This includes x-ray equipment, surgical instruments and other equipment. If a doctor negligently uses this equipment or fails to properly calibrate the equipment it could lead to serious consequences for the baby. This would be considered medical malpractice. If this happens you should seek out a medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible. In some states, you only have a single year to file a medical negligence case, so the sooner you start the process the more favorable.

Begin by completing the first Step

Birth defects affect 1 out of 33 babies born every year, and are a major cause of infant death. These issues could be life-threatening, and can trigger lasting physical, cognitive and emotional difficulties. Researchers have in a few instances connected the birth defects' causes to the mother's exposures to prescription and over-the-counter drugs as well as environmental toxins, complications of motherhood, infections, delivery and pregnancy, family medical history, or genetic diseases (like sickle cell disease, PKU, or genetic illnesses). However, in a majority of birth defect cases the cause is not known.


Certain birth defects, like hearing loss or clubfoot, are easy to detect and can be diagnosed from birth or within the first year of a child's life. Some birth defects, such as heart defects, intellectual and developmental disabilities, require special tests to identify.

Researchers are trying to figure out what causes birth defects and how some of these can be avoided. For example women who smoke or drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs during pregnancy increase their likelihood of having a child with certain defects. Women with a family history that involves genetic disorders that are inherited may want to consult with a genetic counselor before trying to conceive. They could also use the March of Dimes Family Health Form to collect information about medical conditions that run through their families. This information should be shared with their doctor or genetic counselor.

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