Data Connections Activity

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You must read each slide, and complete any questions on the slide, in sequence.

Welcome

Teratogens

This activity examines both the effects of various teratogens and the preventive measures that mitigate their risk to a developing fetus.

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Teratogens: Effects of Exposure and Prevention of Damage*

Some of the teratogens you see in the table below cause physical impairment. Others, known as behavioral teratogens, harm the brain and therefore impair cognitive abilities and affect personality. Whether or not a teratogen harms an embryo or fetus depends on timing, dose, and genes. Public and personal health practices can protect against prenatal complications, with some specifics debatable. Always, however, family members affect the pregnant woman’s health.

Click on each teratogenic category name to view the characteristics of each individual teratogen

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Your Health Habits

A man smokes a cigarette.
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Consider your own health habits during the past month—exercise, sleep, nutrition, alcohol and caffeine consumption, tobacco use, medical care, etc. Would you change your behavior if you were pregnant, and would it make a difference if you or your partner did not want a baby?
Answers will vary, but hopefully your health habits would not need to change very significantly if you became pregnant. Everyone needs exercise, adequate rest, healthy food, and, ideally, a drug-free lifestyle, but general health matters even more during pregnancy. Doctors recommend maintaining good nutrition, avoiding drugs and teratogenic chemicals, and receiving regular prenatal care throughout pregnancy.

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