Genetic and Environmental Factors That Can Affect Prenatal Development

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Genetic Problems

Genetics play a major role in development. In some cases, genetic problems emerge that affect both pre- and postnatal growth of the developing child in the womb. Here are a few:

How Genetics Affect a Child’s Development

Environmental Problems

Environmental variables can also play a major role in prenatal development. Harmful environmental elements that can affect the fetus are known as teratogens.Among them are:

Parental Smoking May Trigger Anxiety, Cognitive Deficit, and Addiction in Children

A Word From Verywell

The prenatal period is a time of tremendous growth and vulnerability. Some of the risks, such as environmental teratogens and drug use, can be prevented or minimized, whereas genetic problems may simply be unavoidable. In either case, early prenatal care can help new mothers and babies cope with prenatal development issues.

Stages of Prenatal Development

6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Baburamani AA, Patkee PA, Arichi T, Rutherford MA.New approaches to studying early brain development in Down syndrome.Dev Med Child Neurol. 2019;61:867-879. doi:10.1111/dmcn.14260Neal SA, Werner MD.The impact of contemporary preimplantation genetic screening and diagnosis on the detection of aneuploidy and inherited genetic diseases.Birth Defects Res. 2018;110(8):644-647. doi:10.1002/bdr2.1220Haltrich I.Chromosomal Aberrations with Endocrine Relevance (Turner Syndrome, Klinefelter Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome).Exp Suppl.2019;111:443-473. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-25905-1_20Cassina M, Cagnoli GA, Zuccarello D, Di Gianantonio E, Clementi M.Human teratogens and genetic phenocopies. Understanding pathogenesis through human genes mutation.Eur J Med Genet. 2017;60(1):22-31. doi:10.1016/j.ejmg.2016.09.011Williams JF, Smith VC, Committee on Substance Abuse.Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.Pediatrics. 2015;136(5):31395-e1406. doi:10.1542/peds.2015-3113Cohen BE, Durstenfeld A, Roehm PC.Viral Causes of Hearing Loss: A Review for Hearing Health Professionals.Trends Hear. 2014;18:2331216514541361. doi:10.1177/2331216514541361

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Baburamani AA, Patkee PA, Arichi T, Rutherford MA.New approaches to studying early brain development in Down syndrome.Dev Med Child Neurol. 2019;61:867-879. doi:10.1111/dmcn.14260Neal SA, Werner MD.The impact of contemporary preimplantation genetic screening and diagnosis on the detection of aneuploidy and inherited genetic diseases.Birth Defects Res. 2018;110(8):644-647. doi:10.1002/bdr2.1220Haltrich I.Chromosomal Aberrations with Endocrine Relevance (Turner Syndrome, Klinefelter Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome).Exp Suppl.2019;111:443-473. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-25905-1_20Cassina M, Cagnoli GA, Zuccarello D, Di Gianantonio E, Clementi M.Human teratogens and genetic phenocopies. Understanding pathogenesis through human genes mutation.Eur J Med Genet. 2017;60(1):22-31. doi:10.1016/j.ejmg.2016.09.011Williams JF, Smith VC, Committee on Substance Abuse.Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.Pediatrics. 2015;136(5):31395-e1406. doi:10.1542/peds.2015-3113Cohen BE, Durstenfeld A, Roehm PC.Viral Causes of Hearing Loss: A Review for Hearing Health Professionals.Trends Hear. 2014;18:2331216514541361. doi:10.1177/2331216514541361

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Baburamani AA, Patkee PA, Arichi T, Rutherford MA.New approaches to studying early brain development in Down syndrome.Dev Med Child Neurol. 2019;61:867-879. doi:10.1111/dmcn.14260Neal SA, Werner MD.The impact of contemporary preimplantation genetic screening and diagnosis on the detection of aneuploidy and inherited genetic diseases.Birth Defects Res. 2018;110(8):644-647. doi:10.1002/bdr2.1220Haltrich I.Chromosomal Aberrations with Endocrine Relevance (Turner Syndrome, Klinefelter Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome).Exp Suppl.2019;111:443-473. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-25905-1_20Cassina M, Cagnoli GA, Zuccarello D, Di Gianantonio E, Clementi M.Human teratogens and genetic phenocopies. Understanding pathogenesis through human genes mutation.Eur J Med Genet. 2017;60(1):22-31. doi:10.1016/j.ejmg.2016.09.011Williams JF, Smith VC, Committee on Substance Abuse.Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.Pediatrics. 2015;136(5):31395-e1406. doi:10.1542/peds.2015-3113Cohen BE, Durstenfeld A, Roehm PC.Viral Causes of Hearing Loss: A Review for Hearing Health Professionals.Trends Hear. 2014;18:2331216514541361. doi:10.1177/2331216514541361

Baburamani AA, Patkee PA, Arichi T, Rutherford MA.New approaches to studying early brain development in Down syndrome.Dev Med Child Neurol. 2019;61:867-879. doi:10.1111/dmcn.14260

Neal SA, Werner MD.The impact of contemporary preimplantation genetic screening and diagnosis on the detection of aneuploidy and inherited genetic diseases.Birth Defects Res. 2018;110(8):644-647. doi:10.1002/bdr2.1220

Haltrich I.Chromosomal Aberrations with Endocrine Relevance (Turner Syndrome, Klinefelter Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome).Exp Suppl.2019;111:443-473. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-25905-1_20

Cassina M, Cagnoli GA, Zuccarello D, Di Gianantonio E, Clementi M.Human teratogens and genetic phenocopies. Understanding pathogenesis through human genes mutation.Eur J Med Genet. 2017;60(1):22-31. doi:10.1016/j.ejmg.2016.09.011

Williams JF, Smith VC, Committee on Substance Abuse.Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.Pediatrics. 2015;136(5):31395-e1406. doi:10.1542/peds.2015-3113

Cohen BE, Durstenfeld A, Roehm PC.Viral Causes of Hearing Loss: A Review for Hearing Health Professionals.Trends Hear. 2014;18:2331216514541361. doi:10.1177/2331216514541361

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