Maternal factors influencing teratogenesis

In mammals, the development of the embryo is significantly influenced by the maternal organism. A person's lifestyle, including dietary habits, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, etc., also plays an important role.

Fetal alcohol syndrome
Chronic alcohol consumption during pregnancy can lead to the development of fetal alcohol syndrome, which represents a serious impairment of the fetus. Manifestations of the embryotoxic effect of alcohol are quite non-specific (intrauterine growth retardation, psychomotor dysfunction and craniofacial malformations). Therefore, the diagnosis is often established on the basis of information about the mother's alcoholism. The characteristic facial features of a child with fetal alcohol syndrome are an indistinct philtrum, a narrow upper lip, a sunken nasal bridge, a short nose, and a flattened midface.

Smoking
Smoking is not associated with major birth defects, but contributes to intrauterine growth retardation. It can cause premature birth. In the case of smoking mothers, there is an insufficient supply of nutrients and oxygen to the fetus. There is also evidence that it causes behavioral disorders.

Diabetes mellitus
Disorders of sugar metabolism during pregnancy in diabetic women cause a higher incidence of premature births, more frequent malformations and higher neonatal mortality. Children of diabetic women tend to have a higher birth weight. The risk of birth defects is three- to four-fold compared to children of non-diabetic mothers. Defects of the heart, skeleton and CNS are described in particular. The occurrence of malformations is significantly influenced by the severity and duration of the mother's illness.

Phenylketonuria
Mothers with phenylketonuria, caused by a deficiency of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase, have an elevated serum concentration of phenylalanine, which poses a risk of mental retardation, microcephaly, and heart defects. When a diet without phenylalanine is used, the mental development of affected individuals proceeds normally, and it is possible to discontinue the diet at the time of CNS maturation.

Nutritional deficiency
Permanent iodine deficiency in the mother's diet causes severe mental retardation in children known as cretinism.

Related articles

 * Teratogenesis
 * Fetal alcohol syndrome
 * Diabetes mellitus in pregnancy