Teratogens to Avoid During Pregnancy
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Andrey Mary RanolaTeratogens to Avoid During Pregnancy
Uploaded by
Andrey Mary RanolaANDREY MARY C.
RAÑOLA
CARE OF MOTHER, CHILD,
ADOLESCENT(WELL CLIENTS) LEC
MIDTERM ACTIVITY #2
TERATOGENS
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
1. Look for face/body care products, food or chemicals that can
be harmful/teratogenic during pregnancy. Just give three (3)
examples. (Examples could be all food/all chemicals/all body
products, or you may opt to give 1 example on each.)
2. In 2-3 sentences, explain the reason why those examples
became teratogenic to pregnancy. (2-3 sentences explanation
per substance/teratogen)
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
RETINOIC ACID OR VITAMIN A DERIVATIVES
Retinoic acid or vitamin A derivatives are significantly
teratogenic in humans. Even at very low doses, oral
medications such as isotretinoin, used in the treatment of
acne, are powerful teratogens. The crucial period of
exposure appears to be from the second to the fifth week
of gestation. The most common malformations include
craniofacial dysmorphisms, cleft palate, thymic aplasia,
and neural tube defects.
ANDREY MARY C. RAÑOLA
CARE OF MOTHER, CHILD,
ADOLESCENT(WELL CLIENTS) LEC
MIDTERM ACTIVITY #2
TERATOGENS
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
KINDS OF SEAFOOD THAT ARE HIGH IN
MERCURY
Kinds of seafood that are high in Mercury such as sharks,
swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish. The bigger and older
the fish, the more mercury it is likely to have. In most adults
eating seafood with high levels of mercury regularly is not a
problem but if the client is planning to get pregnant or is
currently pregnant, mercury can accumulate in their
bloodstream over time. Too much mercury in their
bloodstream has been linked with the development of
neurological problems like cerebral palsy, as well as
intellectual disability.
ANDREY MARY C. RAÑOLA
CARE OF MOTHER, CHILD,
ADOLESCENT(WELL CLIENTS) LEC
MIDTERM ACTIVITY #2
TERATOGENS
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
ANY FOOD CONTAINING
UNPASTEURIZED MILK AND CHEESE
Any food containing unpasteurized milk and cheese like
Feta, Brie, Camembert, goat, etc. It causes mild-flu like
symptoms in most adults but can be very dangerous for
unborn babies. Pregnant women that had consumed
unpasteurized milk and cheese can run a serious risk of
becoming ill from the bacteria Listeria. If it is during the
first trimester it may cause miscarriage. As the pregnancy
progresses the pregnant clients’ becomes more at risk. It
may also lead to premature birth, severe illness, or death of
the newborn baby. While if those fetuses who had the
infection during the last couple of weeks of the pregnancy
may develop a wide range of health problems, like
intellectual disability, paralysis, seizures, blindness, or
impairments of the brain, heart, or kidney.
ANDREY MARY C. RAÑOLA
CARE OF MOTHER, CHILD,
ADOLESCENT(WELL CLIENTS) LEC
MIDTERM ACTIVITY #2
TERATOGENS
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR HEALTH TEACHING TO YOUR
PREGNANT CLIENT REGARDING TERATOGENS?
A teratogen is any agent that can result in
physical or functional abnormalities
(malformation) of the fetus after the
pregnant client is exposed to the agent.
Common teratogens include some
medications, recreational drugs, tobacco
products, chemicals, certain infections,
some uncontrolled health problems of the
mother, and the most common one is
alcohol.
Each teratogen agent and week of exposure may result in
different abnormalities in the fetus but the first three(3)
months of the pregnancy show more sensitivity to
teratogens. The exposure or use of these teratogens should
be fully avoided. A common question asked if caffeine is
considered a teratogen. The answer is no, it is not
considered to be a teratogen but if it is consumed in large
quantities it may increase not only the mother’s blood
pressure and heart rate but also the fetus’s blood pressure
and heart rate.
There are many other potential teratogens in our
world today, if the client is certain or even uncertain
about their exposure to those agents during their
pregnancy, recommend speaking or discussing this
with their Obstetrician. In order to perform further
tests needed to truly determine any physical or
functional abnormalities present in the fetus.
ANDREY MARY C. RAÑOLA
CARE OF MOTHER, CHILD,
ADOLESCENT(WELL CLIENTS) LEC
MIDTERM ACTIVITY #2
TERATOGENS
REFERENCES
American Pregnancy Association (2016). Caffeine During Pregnancy.
Retrieved October 10, 2022, from
[Link]
health-wellness/caffeine-intake-during-pregnancy-946
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. (2018, November 8).
Unpasteurized milk can pose a serious health risk. U.S. Food and Drug
Administration. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from
[Link]
milk-unpasteurized-milk-can-pose-serious-health-
risk#:~:text=Pregnant%20women%20run%20a%20serious,death%20of
%20the%20newborn%20baby.
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. (2018, September 27).
Listseria from food safety for moms to be. U.S. Food and Drug
Administration. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from
[Link]
moms-
be#:~:text=Listeriosis%20can%20also%20lead%20to,brain%2C%20he
art%2C%20or%20kidney.
Children’s Wisconsin (n.d.). Teratogens. Retrieved September 11, 2020,
from [Link]
program/medical-genetics/teratogens
Chung, W. (2005). Teratogens and their effects - columbia university.
Columbia University. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from
[Link]
[Link]
Gupta, R. C. (Ed.). (2015, April). Why are pregnant women told to avoid
feta cheese? KidsHealth. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from
[Link]
Mauldin, A. (2020, September 14). Teratogen: What is it, examples, and
more | osmosis. Osmosis. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from
[Link]
ANDREY MARY C. RAÑOLA
CARE OF MOTHER, CHILD,
ADOLESCENT(WELL CLIENTS) LEC
MIDTERM ACTIVITY #2
TERATOGENS
REFERENCES
Mayo Clinic. (2021, December 8). Pregnancy and fish: What's safe to
eat? Retrieved October 10, 2022, from
[Link]
week/in-depth/pregnancy-and-fish/art-
20044185#:~:text=But%20some%20types%20of%20seafood,or%20pl
anning%20to%20become%20pregnant.
Mayo Clinic. (2022, January 22). Pregnancy nutrition: Foods to avoid
during pregnancy. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from
[Link]
week/in-depth/pregnancy-nutrition/art-20043844
Stanford Children’s Health (n.d.). Medical Genetics: Teratogens.
Retrieved October 10, 2022, from
[Link]
overview-90-P09519
