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Birth Defect: Pregnancies
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Some dietary changes may be helpful in the prevention of birth defects. According to one study, drinking beverages containing caffeine may increase the risk of miscarriage among non-smoking women. Women who miscarried during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy were found to have significantly higher consumption of caffeine compared with women who carried their pregnancies to term. Women who consumed 500 mg of caffeine per day, or roughly five cups of coffee, were twice as likely to suffer a miscarriage compared with women who drank less than one cup of coffee per day. An increased risk of miscarriage was ... found in women consuming as little of 100 mg of caffeine per day. These findings indicate that there may be no “safe” amount of regular caffeine consumption during pregnancy.
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A birth defect is any physical, mental or biochemical abnormality present at birth. It can affect how the body looks, works or both. It may be found during the pregnancy, at birth or a few years after birth. Some are easily recognized, while others can only be identified by specialized testing. A birth defect could range from mild to severe, even ending in death. With advanced medical technolgoy, many congenital abnormalities can be corrected.
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In spina bifida, the most common birth defect of the central nervous system, a developmental failure early in pregnancy leaves an opening in part of the bone and tissue covering the fetus's spinal cord. Depending on the severity of the defect, the newborn may suffer paralysis, bowel and bladder problems, and fluid pressure on the brain.
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FDA is advising health care professionals to discuss the potential risk of birth defects with patients taking Paxil who plan to become pregnant or are in their first three months of pregnancy. Health care professionals should consider discontinuing Paxil (and switching to another antidepressant if indicated) in these patients. In some patients, the benefits of continuing Paxil may be greater than the potential risk to the fetus. FDA is advising health care professionals not to prescribe Paxil in women who are in the first three months of pregnancy or are planning pregnancy, unless other treatment options are not appropriate.
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In December 2005, the Food and Drug Administration alerted consumers to the increased risks of Paxil birth defects when taken during the first three months of pregnancy. Results of the studies showed the heart defects were, in most cases, atrial and ventricular septal defects, which are characterized by holes in the walls of the chambers of the heart. Heart-related Paxil birth defects range in severity from minor, which may resolve without treatment, to severe conditions, which usually require surgical repair.
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[One] maternal condition giving rise to birth defects is maternal phenylketonuria (PKU). This is an autosomal recessive disorder in which an enzyme called phenylalanine hydroxylase is defective. This enzyme normally converts a substance in the blood called phenylalanine to another substance called tyrosine. As a result, phenylalanine levels are high, resulting in mental retardation, microencephaly, growth retardation, cardiac problems, seizures, vomiting, and hyperactivity. Other traits associated with PKU are fair hair and skin and blue eyes. PKU can be effectively managed through changes in the diet, and women who have appropriately managed their diet can have pregnancies with healthy offspring.
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