Anyone Can Help Prevent Birth Defects!

This may sound like a lofty or unattainable goal set by the March of Dimes, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Birth Defects Prevention Network.  The good news is that ANYONE can help prevent some birth defects.  You can help spread information about promoting healthy pregnancies even if you are not pregnant, or planning to become pregnant.  January is the month designated to focus on this topic, but since pregnancies happen 365 days a year, there is no specific time to help all women achieve a healthy pregnancy.

About 120,000 babies in the US each year have birth defects.  The reasons for some birth defects are unknown.  But some, such as those associated with maternal infections during pregnancy, can be prevented.  There are several steps that women can take to prevent certain infections that are known to cause problems for babies.  These include:

1. Frequent and thorough hand washing.
2. Avoid unpasteurized (raw) milk, and foods made from it.
3. Avoid eating raw or undercooked meat.
4. Avoid people who have an infection.
5. Talk to your doctor about vaccinations (shots).
6. Try not to share utensils, cups, or food with young children.
7. Do not touch or change dirty cat litter.
8. Avoid wild or pet rodents and their droppings.

Some of the more common infections that pregnant women can have that may cause serious birth defects in a developing baby are toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus (CMV), varicella, and rubella. 

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii.  A healthy person with a good immune system can unknowingly carry the parasite.  If a woman who is pregnant becomes infected for the first time just prior to or during pregnancy, the infection can be passed on to her unborn baby.  Some babies do not show signs during pregnancy or shortly thereafter, but develop blindness or mental retardation later.  A small number of babies will show problems with their eyes or brain shortly after birth.  Toxoplasmosis is frequently acquired by handling cat feces, gardening without gloves, or eating contaminated fruits or vegetables if they are not washed or peeled.  People can also be infected with toxoplasmosis by handling or eating raw or undercooked meat of animals like pigs, sheep, and deer.  For more information, visit http://www.nbdpn.org/current/2008pdf/ToxoWomen.pdf.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is caused by a virus that may cause no symptoms in an otherwise healthy adult.  Symptoms such as fever, sore throat, fatigue, or swollen glands may develop in some individuals.  CMV is found in bodily fluids such as urine, saliva, blood, breast milk, semen, and vaginal fluid.  CMV is spread by person-to-person contact with bodily fluids, from a pregnant woman to her baby, and through blood transfusions or organ transplants.  If a woman contracts CMV for the first time while she is pregnant, she may pass the virus onto her baby.  Congenital CMV causes mental retardation, hearing and vision problems, small babies, lung and breathing problems, and other health care problems.  About 1/750 children are affected by a prenatal CMV infection.  For more information, visit http://www.nbdpn.org/current/2008pdf/CMV_brochEng.pdf

Varicella is the virus that causes chicken pox and shingles.  Chicken pox is usually a mild viral infection characterized by an itchy, blistering rash and fever.  A small percentage of women who contract varicella during the first trimester will have babies that have complications.  These can include scars, small head, mental retardation, blindness, and hearing loss.  For more information, visit the March of Dimes website at http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1185.asp as well as http://otispregnancy.org/pdf/chickenpox.pdf.

Rubella, also called German Measles, is a mild childhood illness that can cause serious problems for a baby if the mother contracts the illness during the first or second trimester.  Rubella has been largely eliminated in the United States after a vaccine was available in 1969.  However, it remains common in other countries.  Most women of childbearing age are immune to rubella because they were either vaccinated or exposed as children.  However, about 10% women in the US are still susceptible.  Babies born to mothers who contract rubella during pregnancy are at risk to develop blindness, hearing loss, mental retardation, and congenital heart defects.  There is also a risk for miscarriage or stillbirth.  A non-immune woman can be vaccinated prior to pregnancy to prevent risks to future children.  For more information see the March of Dimes website http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1225.asp as well as http://otispregnancy.org/pdf/mmr.pdf. 

All women can take certain steps to have healthier babies.  These include:

1. Take a vitamin with 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid every day to prevent up to 75% of neural tube defects (spina bifida, anencephaly).
2. Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs.
3. Talk to a health care professional prior to pregnancy about any health problems and current medications.
4. Discuss your personal or family history of birth defects or mental retardation with a genetic counselor or other health care professional.
5. Eat a healthy, balanced diet.
6. Get early and consistent prenatal care.

Further reading on these and other preventable birth defects can be found at the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (www.nbdpn.org) and http://www.nbdpn.org/current/2008MSWord/BDPM2008_InternetResourcesfinal.doc. 

For more information, see the following:

 Organization for Teratology Information Services (OTIS): http://www.otispregnancy.org
Site offers information about exposures to possible harmful substances during pregnancy.  Contains a list of state contacts for teratology information, fact sheets, special projects, and links.

National Council on Folic Acid (NCFA): http://www.folicacidinfo.org
NCFA is a partnership of over 80 national organizations and associations, state folic acid councils, and government agencies whose mission is to improve health by promoting the benefits and consumption of folic acid.  NCFA is managed by the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (www.hmhb.org) through a cooperative agreement with CDC.  NCFA’s goals are to reduce folic acid-preventable birth defects by recommending that women of childbearing age take 400 micrograms of synthetic folic acid daily from fortified foods and/or supplements, in addition to consuming food folate from a varied diet, and to communicate and promote emerging and new science on folic acid, especially relating to maternal and child health.

March of Dimes (MOD) Birth Defects Foundation: http://www.modimes.org
This site contains a wealth of information about MOD, birth defects, and infant health statistics.  There are also additional links to other sources of birth defects data.