12/10/2026
Teratogenic Agents and Their Effects on the Fetus 🧬
💊 Drugs
Thalidomide: phocomelia (limb defects), ear and eye defects
Isotretinoin / Vitamin A excess: microtia, cleft palate, heart and CNS defects
Warfarin: nasal hypoplasia, stippled epiphyses
Phenytoin: cleft lip/palate, nail and finger hypoplasia
Valproic acid: neural tube defects, facial dysmorphism
Carbamazepine: neural tube defects, craniofacial defects
Lithium: Ebstein anomaly
Tetracycline: tooth discoloration, enamel hypoplasia
Streptomycin / Aminoglycosides: deafness (ototoxicity)
ACE inhibitors / ARBs: fetal kidney failure, skull hypoplasia
Methotrexate: neural tube defects, limb and skull defects
Misoprostol: limb defects, Möbius syndrome
Diethylstilbestrol (DES): vaginal adenocarcinoma, uterine abnormalities
Androgens: virilization of the female fetus
Trimethoprim: neural tube defects (folate antagonist)
🍷 Social Substances
Alcohol: fetal alcohol syndrome (facial changes, small head, intellectual disability)
Cigarette smoking: low birth weight, preterm birth
Co***ne: placental abruption, growth restriction, microcephaly
🦠 Infections (TORCH and others)
Toxoplasmosis: hydrocephalus, chorioretinitis, brain calcifications
Rubella: cataracts, deafness, heart defects
Cytomegalovirus: microcephaly, hearing loss
Herpes simplex: skin lesions, brain damage
Syphilis: Hutchinson teeth, saddle nose, deafness
Varicella: limb hypoplasia, skin scarring
Zika virus: microcephaly
Parvovirus B19: hydrops fetalis
☢️ Physical Agents
Ionizing radiation: microcephaly, intellectual disability, leukemia risk
Hyperthermia: neural tube defects
🧪 Chemicals
Mercury: neurological damage (Minamata disease)
Lead: miscarriage, low IQ
PCBs: low birth weight, skin pigmentation
🤰 Maternal Conditions
Diabetes mellitus: caudal regression, heart defects, macrosomia
Phenylketonuria (untreated): microcephaly, intellectual disability
Prevention starts before conception. Always consult a health professional before taking any drug in pregnancy.
