Taking Valproate During Pregnancy Can Increase Risk of Autism for the Child

Millions of people suffer from different types of conditions known as seizure disorders that include epilepsy and migraine headaches.  For years, a medication that’s generally known as valproate has been used by patients to help control the difficult symptoms associated with these conditions.  Unfortunately, recent years have led to increased knowledge with regards to the risks associated with using valproate, most prominently by women who used this anti-seizure medication during the early stages of their pregnancies.  These risks were generally associated with several types of birth defects including:

• Neural tube malformations
• Cleft palate
• Cleft lip
• Heart defects
• Spina bifida 

Unfortunately, a new study has been published with regards to the use of valproate by pregnant women, and a new risk has been identified.  That risk involves the apparent tendency for women who use this medication during this time to have children who will ultimately be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. 

If you have ever had a child, either as a mother or as a father, you doubtlessly saw and experienced things with your first child that you never had considered before that day. The mystery that is childbirth is unlocked to a degree and seeing it happen fully informs every parent of just how difficult it is and just how much typically goes on during that process. When the child is born, both parents are overwhelmed with indescribable new feelings and they are completely enthralled with the new little person that has just entered the world.

The last thing that anyone would be thinking about during these special moments is the possibility that the child will someday be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder unless something went wrong during the birth. Perhaps the second-last thing that any parent will think about other than the mother for a few minutes is the placenta, as it is generally discarded and ignored for obvious reasons. Passing the placenta is basically the last step in a birth, and it’s not something that’s memorable when looking back on the experience.

If you are a parent whose child experienced a difficult birth where your baby was cut off from an oxygen supply for any period of time, you probably remember the terror that you felt and the extreme relief that you enjoyed when your child emerged and cried. Perhaps the troubling thoughts that you experienced during those moments lingered in the back of your mind only to return when you noticed that your child was simply not developing as quickly as most others and that he or she struggled with otherwise basic things.

If you are a parent whose child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, you understand the difficulty involved with accepting such news. Your child will be forced to battle this condition throughout his or her life, as to date there is no cure for any of the different specific disorders that exists within the realm of cerebral palsy. Over time, as you saw your child continue to endure struggles, you were probably willing to try just about anything that didn’t place your child in a position of exposure to additional harm or stress.

There are many different steps that need to be taken when a woman is pregnant that will minimize the chance that the child will be harmed and ultimately be born with birth defects. Expecting mothers are generally not expected to consume alcohol and they are definitely not supposed to smoke cigarettes or any other tobacco products. Those are well-known pieces of advice for women to adhere to during this special but sensitive time. There are other steps that need to be taken including the avoidance of exposure to substances that could prove to be toxic and harmful to the child as he or she develops in the womb.

Damage to the Motor Cortex and Cerebral Palsy

While every infant is extremely vulnerable to harm while he or she is in the process of being born, there are certain parts of the body that absolutely need to be protected from damage. As many would expect, one of those parts of the body is the brain. While there are several different ways in which a person’s brain can be damaged during birth, one of the most common problems that arises is a lack of oxygen that can last anywhere from seconds to minutes. Any loss of oxygen to the brain can lead to irreparable damage.

There are few medical events in life in which more things must go exactly right in order for a process to be completed safely and properly than that of childbirth. Not only are mothers vulnerable to harm during this difficult process, but the infants are exposed to several different risks that they will be unable to avoid without the help of medical professionals who are overseeing their entries into the world. Unfortunately, it appears that the number of infants who are forced to endure harm as a result of severe complications that arise during birth is rising quickly.