Comments on: Prenatal health http://www.ideasforwomen.com/news/womens-health/pregnancy/2007/02/06/113/ News and Issues About Women Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:04:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Genetics56 http://www.ideasforwomen.com/news/womens-health/pregnancy/2007/02/06/113/#comment-21851 Genetics56 Sun, 22 Jul 2007 23:10:54 +0000 http://www.ideasforwomen.com/news/womens-health/pregnancy/2007/02/06/113/#comment-21851 I don't agree those women who take SSRI's while pregnant don't affect the brain development (later behavioral traits of the child) of a child during embryological growth. I say this because any drug that a pregnant female takes while pregnant has some affect on the developmental stage that the baby is at when taking the drug. I can see that if a pregnant lady takes a SSRI after brain development is complete it would not do as much harm to the behavioral traits of a child after birth as it would when a pregnant lady would take a SSRI during early pregnancy. I don’t agree those women who take SSRI’s while pregnant don’t affect the brain development (later behavioral traits of the child) of a child during embryological growth. I say this because any drug that a pregnant female takes while pregnant has some affect on the developmental stage that the baby is at when taking the drug. I can see that if a pregnant lady takes a SSRI after brain development is complete it would not do as much harm to the behavioral traits of a child after birth as it would when a pregnant lady would take a SSRI during early pregnancy.

]]> By: Casey Anderson http://www.ideasforwomen.com/news/womens-health/pregnancy/2007/02/06/113/#comment-21772 Casey Anderson Fri, 13 Jul 2007 21:31:28 +0000 http://www.ideasforwomen.com/news/womens-health/pregnancy/2007/02/06/113/#comment-21772 <strong>Casey Anderson...</strong> Thank God for my wireless laptop. At least I can sit in my bed and fill my brain with frightening pregnancy stories from TLC online and Babycenter. Awesome!... Casey Anderson…

Thank God for my wireless laptop. At least I can sit in my bed and fill my brain with frightening pregnancy stories from TLC online and Babycenter. Awesome!…

]]> By: John Brace http://www.ideasforwomen.com/news/womens-health/pregnancy/2007/02/06/113/#comment-4185 John Brace Tue, 06 Feb 2007 23:46:26 +0000 http://www.ideasforwomen.com/news/womens-health/pregnancy/2007/02/06/113/#comment-4185 The same is true of lithium during pregnancy - hardly any clinically significant effects in the ones without visible birth defects were seen at age eight, but an average lowering of development score by 6-7 points was found in a later study. There are about twenty known factors I know about during pregnancy that affect the fetus. They are infections (cytomegalovirus, rubella, herpes simplex, toxoplasmosis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis and caricella zoster), disease (phenylketoneuria and insulin dependent diabetes mellitus), pharmaceutical drugs (androgens/progestins, anticonvulsants, coumarin derivates, lithium, retinoids, thalidomide, folic acid antagonists and diethlstilvestrol), chemical agents (ethyl alcohol, methyl mercury & cocaine), other influences (hypoxia, deficiency of iodine and ionising radiation). My own area of expertise is the neurobehavourial characteristics of children/adults born to mothers who were on lithium through all the pregnancy or just for a short time in the first trimester before they knew they were pregnant. Regarding seperating the mother's blood cells from the foetus' - this is done by machine (too time consuming to seperate by hand). The problem with effects of drugs during pregnancy is that you generally have to go by animal studies (as human studies are merely as old as first introduction of the drug). For example lithium was introduced here in 1963. So the oldest child born to a mother on lithium would be 44 - which leaves very little data for things like effect on mortality (other than how many actually make it to pregnancy). Studies in rats can be done far quicker as they have a shorter lifespan. The ethics of animal experimentation are widely contested though by the anti vivisectionist lot despite all the controls there are on such research here in England. The same is true of lithium during pregnancy - hardly any clinically significant effects in the ones without visible birth defects were seen at age eight, but an average lowering of development score by 6-7 points was found in a later study.

There are about twenty known factors I know about during pregnancy that affect the fetus. They are infections (cytomegalovirus, rubella, herpes simplex, toxoplasmosis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis and caricella zoster), disease (phenylketoneuria and insulin dependent diabetes mellitus), pharmaceutical drugs (androgens/progestins, anticonvulsants, coumarin derivates, lithium, retinoids, thalidomide, folic acid antagonists and diethlstilvestrol), chemical agents (ethyl alcohol, methyl mercury & cocaine), other influences (hypoxia, deficiency of iodine and ionising radiation).

My own area of expertise is the neurobehavourial characteristics of children/adults born to mothers who were on lithium through all the pregnancy or just for a short time in the first trimester before they knew they were pregnant.

Regarding seperating the mother’s blood cells from the foetus’ - this is done by machine (too time consuming to seperate by hand).

The problem with effects of drugs during pregnancy is that you generally have to go by animal studies (as human studies are merely as old as first introduction of the drug). For example lithium was introduced here in 1963. So the oldest child born to a mother on lithium would be 44 - which leaves very little data for things like effect on mortality (other than how many actually make it to pregnancy). Studies in rats can be done far quicker as they have a shorter lifespan. The ethics of animal experimentation are widely contested though by the anti vivisectionist lot despite all the controls there are on such research here in England.

]]>