Creamer

Hope Creamer

Dr. Bartel

Infancy, Childhood, and Adolescence

7 February 2017

Tracking Teratogens Over the Course of a Week

The first of three teratogens I was exposed to was radiation (X-ray). It was a total of two

X-rays on my teeth at the dentist. According to the American College of Radiology, a single x-ray

does not have a strong enough dose to cause harm to a developing fetus. Especially on teeth,

having dental x-rays during pregnancy is considered safe with appropriate shielding (American).

According to my research, the dose of radiation I was exposed to would have no effect on a

developing baby. However, higher doses of radiation have the danger of causing changes in a

baby’s rapidly growing cells. This would increase the risk of birth defects or certain cancers,

such as leukemia, later in life. Only when the mother’s lower torso (abdomen, stomach, pelvis,

lower back, or kidneys) are x-rayed, this may expose the unborn child to the direct x-ray beam.

This is when the possibility of birth defects become a concern.

The second teratogen I found I was exposed the most to after just one week was

caffeine. Caffeine is, however, a suspected teratogen, meaning there isn’t a definite answer if

caffeine intake while pregnant causes birth defects etc. The caffeinated beverages I consumed

were a total of three 8 ounce cups of Starbucks blonde roast coffee, three 8 ounce cups of black

tea, and two 8 ounce cans of Red Bull. I discovered that one 8oz cup of Starbucks blonde roast

coffee contains 180mg of caffeine, I had a total of three cups, which would put me at 540mg of

caffeine for coffee. For tea, one 8oz cup of black tea is 47mg of caffeine, three cups being a
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total of 141mg. Finally, for Red Bull, one 8oz can contains 80mg of caffeine, two cans being

160mg (Kallmyer). Altogether, I consumed a grand total of 841mg of caffeine over the week.

According to the American Pregnancy Association, it is best to cut out all caffeine when

pregnant, but if you must have a fix, then 200mg and under is the recommended daily limit.

That would be a total of 1,400mg of caffeine per week. With this information in mind, I found

that my caffeine intake was relatively low for the week. MotherToBaby states that low levels of

caffeine are okay during pregnancy as long as the mother is drinking enough water, milk, juice,

etc. to stay hydrated. As long as the caffeinated beverages do not replace the other fluids, it

should not be harmful to the developing baby. On the contrary, large amounts of caffeine

(more than 200mg per day) consumed in later stages of pregnancy crosses the placenta. Some

reports have suggested that children born to mothers who consumed more than 500mg of

caffeine per day were more likely to have faster heart rates, shaking, increased breathing rate,

and spend more time away in the days following birth (MotherToBaby). According to Wise

Woman Way of Birth, caffeine has more serious effects saying caffeine is toxic to the baby’s

developing nervous system and interferes with iron adsorption and the baby’s ability to

effectively use insulin. A study released by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,

found that women who consume more than 200mg of caffeine daily are twice as likely to have

a miscarriage as those who do not consume any caffeine (American Pregnancy). According to

my research, my low exposure to the suspected teratogen over the past week is not harmful to

a developing baby.

The third teratogen I was exposed to was Ibuprofen. Over the course of the week I had

taken a total of 8 200mg ibuprofen pills, a total of 1,600mg of ibuprofen. My sources on this
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particular teratogen were quite contradicting to each other. According to Gerald Briggs, one

dose of ibuprofen isn’t likely to do the baby any harm. However, Pregmed says that even a

single dosage can considerably increase the chances of miscarriage. Both sources had agreeing

effects of exposure to ibuprofen being, research has shown that it may cause a passage in the

baby’s heart to close prematurely which would possibly lead to heart or lung damage or even

death. They also stated that taking ibuprofen or other NSAIDs in the last few weeks of

pregnancy has also been linked to low amniotic fluid levels and high blood pressure in the lungs

of newborns, may delay or prolong labor, and if used within seven days of delivery, will increase

bleeding in the mother. In one study, children born to mothers who used ibuprofen in their

second or third trimesters were shown to have a greater risk of developing asthma in early

childhood. From what I gathered from my research, any exposure at all will increase chances of

miscarriage, birth defects, or even death of the baby. Obviously, the greater exposure will lead

to a greater risk of these tragedies. I have concluded that both low and high exposure is

harmful to the developing baby.

As far as the “take home message”, I feel I lead a relatively “clean” life. I was actually

surprised I wasn’t exposed to more teratogens than what I was. Cutting back on caffeine is

never a bad thing, but I don’t feel as though I consume an outrageous amount. In the future, if I

decide to have children, I will use this knowledge of teratogens to my advantage to ensure I

don’t raise any risk of birth defects in the developing baby.

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Works Cited

"Caffeine Intake During Pregnancy." American Pregnancy Association. N.p., 01 Sept. 2016. Web.
09 Feb. 2017.

"Caffeine." Mother To Baby. Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), May

2015. Web. 7 Feb. 2017.

"Ibuprofen during Pregnancy." Pregnancy Articles. N.p., 28 Nov. 2014. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

Kallmyer, Ted, B.A., M.Ed, and James Foster. "Caffeine Calculator." Caffeine Calculator.
SitesForProfit, 2017. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

"Pregnancy and Dental Work: Safety & Medications." American Pregnancy Association. N.p., 19
May 2016. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

Specialist, Gerald Briggspharmacist Clinical. "Is It Safe to Take Ibuprofen during Pregnancy?"
BabyCenter. N.p., 24 Jan. 2017. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

"Teratogens: Harmful to the Unborn Baby." Wise Woman Way of Birth. N.p., 12 Dec. 2008.
Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

"X-ray during Pregnancy: Is It Safe?" Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and
Research (MFMER), 2017. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.

"X-Rays, Pregnancy and You." X-Rays, Pregnancy and You. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Feb. 2017.
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Teratogen Exposure List

 Herbal supplements and teas- 3 8oz cups of black tea

 Caffeine- 3 8oz cups of coffee, 3 8oz cups of black tea, 2 8oz cans of red bull

 Nail polish (containing toluene)- Painted nails once

 Radiation- once, x-rays at the dentis

 Sex Hormones- daily birth control pill

 Ibuprofen- total of 8 200mg ibuprofen pills