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Summary
A birth defect is a problem that happens while a baby is developing in the mother's body. Most birth defects happen during the first 3 months of pregnancy. One out of every 33 babies in the United States is born with a birth defect.
A birth defect may affect how the body looks, works or both. Some birth defects like cleft lip or neural tube defects are structural problems that can be easy to see. To find others, like heart defects, doctors use special tests. Birth defects can vary from mild to severe. Some result from exposures to medicines or chemicals. For example, alcohol abuse can cause fetal alcohol syndrome. Infections during pregnancy can also result in birth defects. For most birth defects, the cause is unknown.
Some birth defects can be prevented. Taking folic acid can help prevent some birth defects. Talk to your doctor about any medicines you take. Some medicines can cause serious birth defects.
Babies with birth defects may need surgery or other medical treatments. Today, doctors can diagnose many birth defects in the womb. This enables them to treat or even correct some problems before the baby is born.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- 10 Things You Need to Know about Birth Defects (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Birth Defects
(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
- Birth Defects (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Birth Defects: What They Are and How They Happen (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Congenital Abnormalities (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
- Facts about Birth Defects (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
Latest News
- Higher Pregnancy Weight Tied to Raised Odds for Birth Defects (06/15/2017, HealthDay)
- 1 in 20 Pregnant Women Infected with Zika Have Babies with Birth Defects: CDC (06/09/2017, HealthDay)
- New Device Approved for Esophageal Birth Defect (05/15/2017, HealthDay)
Diagnosis and Tests
- Birth Defects Diagnosis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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How Do Health Care Providers Diagnose Birth Defects?
(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
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Newborn Screening: MedlinePlus Health Topic
(National Library of Medicine)
Also in Spanish
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Prenatal Testing: MedlinePlus Health Topic
(National Library of Medicine)
Also in Spanish
- TORCH Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Guidance for Preventing Birth Defects (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Reducing Risks of Birth Defects (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) Also in Spanish
Living With
- When Your Baby Has a Birth Defect (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Fact Sheets (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists)
- Isotretinoin and Other Retinoids During Pregnancy (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Medication Use during Pregnancy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- What Is a Neonatologist? (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
- When Your Baby's in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) (Nemours Foundation)
Specifics
- Ambiguous Genitalia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (Foundation Fighting Blindness)
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Branchiootorenal Syndrome
(Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center)
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Campomelic dysplasia
(Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center)
Also in Spanish
- Characteristics of CdLS (Cornelia de Lange Syndrome) (Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Foundation)
- Clubfoot (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Conjoined Twins (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (Nemours Foundation)
- Esophageal Atresia and Tracheoesophageal Fistula (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
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Facts about Anophthalmia and Microphthalmia
(National Eye Institute)
- Facts about Gastroschisis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Facts about Hypospadias (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Facts about Omphalocele (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Facts about Upper and Lower Limb Reduction Defects (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Genital and Urinary Tract Defects (March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Hirschsprung Disease (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
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Hirschsprung Disease
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
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Klippel-Feil Syndrome
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
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Moebius Syndrome
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
- Supernumerary Digit (Logical Images)
- Undescended Testicles (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
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What Are the Types of Birth Defects?
(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
Genetics
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Genetics Home Reference: abdominal wall defect
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: DOORS syndrome
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Poland syndrome
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Schinzel-Giedion syndrome
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: trisomy 18
(National Library of Medicine)
Statistics and Research
- Birth Defects Data and Statistics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Birth Defects Research and Tracking (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- FastStats: Birth Defects or Congenital Anomalies (National Center for Health Statistics)
- National Birth Defects Prevention Study (NBDPS) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Congenital Abnormalities
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Reference Desk
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Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms
(National Human Genome Research Institute)
Also in Spanish