January is national Birth Defect Prevention Month. Birth defects affect 3 percent of all pregnancies.
Mothers who smoke, drink and miss their prenatal appointments are at higher risk of growing a child with a birth defect.
Roxanne Holt, OBGYN for Texas Tech Physicians, said another 3 percent of defects will be identifiable by the time the child reaches 5 years old.
Holt said the most common defects are congenital heart defects.
“They happen in every six per thousand live births,” she said.
Ashley Harder, division director for Lubbock March of Dimes, said most defects are visible within the first three months of pregnancy.
Harder said the organization works to fund research on ways to prevent birth defects, educate women on how to avoid them and find assistance for women with affected children.
She said an average of 7,723 babies are born every week in Texas. She said 1,001 are born preterm and about 335 are born with a birth defect.
“Only about 50 percent of women get prenatal care in their first trimester,” Harder said.
David Blann, OBGYN with Covenant Medical Group, said the best way to ensure a healthy pregnancy is to begin prenatal care before pregnancy.
“Most of the time, we don’t catch them until they are already pregnant,” Blann said. “Most big birth defects are resolved by early pregnancy loss.”
Blann said the body tries to naturally correct its own disorders, which sometimes includes loss of the fetus.
Holt said people planning for pregnancy can reduce risks of complications by taking prenatal vitamins at least one month before conception.
She said pregnant women should consult with their doctor before continuing any medications.
Hold said Retina, an acne medication, is an example of a known cause of birth defects.
“Women should stop taking it prior to trying to get pregnant,” she said.
Blann said there are other steps women can take to reduce the risks of a birth defect.
“Eat a good diet prescribed by a physician,” Blann said. “Everything in moderation. Avoid nicotine and alcohol. … There are no safe levels of alcohol.”
Holt said avoiding illicit drugs can also contribute to a healthy pregnancy.
“Drugs can be cut with other chemicals,” she said.
Brittani Kite, community director for Lubbock March of Dimes, said another cause of birth defects is genetics.
She said every state in the United States requires a heel-prick test for newborns that screens for 21 birth defects. She said the test in Texas screens for 31.
“The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) recommends 32,” she said. “We don’t screen that other one because it’s more expensive. It requires a special machine. It’s more costly.”
Kite said March of Dimes is working to get the test in the budget for hospitals around the state.
Blann said precautions can be taken to try to prevent birth defects, but they’re not always successful.
“We deal with them on an individual case-by-case basis,” Blann said. “We can do everything that we’re supposed to do and you will do fine. Birth defects have other causes.”
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