Hazards In Prenatal Development
The aim of this essay is to outline the ‘hazards in prenatal development’. There are many hazards in prenatal development which is evident from numerous sources. Most of these hazards are obvious but there are also some that many may not consider. Prenatal development is the process in which a baby develops from a single cell after conception into the embryo and later a fetus. There are three stages in prenatal development, the zygote, the embryo and the fetus.
The first period of prenatal development is referred to as the zygote stage. This stage begins at conception and lasts until the zygote is implanted in the mother’s uterus. The period of the zygote lasts approximately two weeks. The period of the embryo lasts from about two weeks to eight weeks after conception. All the organs that are present at birth are formed at this stage. The third period is called the fetus stage. This period is from the second month of pregnancy until birth. The body parts, organs and systems which were formed during the embryonic period will develop further and begin to function. (Hetherington & Parke, 2003)
During the course of prenatal development there are many agents which may cause developmental deviations in the fetus. These agents are called teratogens. ‘Teratogens are any agents from the environment that can cause harm to the developing fetus.’ (www.psych.colorado.com)
Hetherington and Parke reveal teratogens include many agents such as maternal age, diet, emotional state and illness, drugs and environmental toxins, such as pollution. Teratogens are in essence environmental factors; however genetic factors within the mother or child affect the response of each to any teratogenic agent. The impact of teratogens depends on the dosage. Damage from teratogens is not always evident at birth but appear later in life. The impact of teratogens often depends on the quality of the prenatal environment.
One of the hazards to prenatal development is...
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