DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

Group 1

Topic: prenatal development

Rabia waheed: 18-201

Unaiza saeed: 18-209
Yashra Mansoor: 18-241
maham farrukh: 18-251
Tayba naseer: 18-321
 Prenatal Development

Prenatal means Occurring or existing before birth. The word

"prenatal" comes from the Latin "pre-," before and “natus"
birth, which means before birth. Prenatal development is
the process of growth and development within the womb,
in which a single-cell zygote (the cell formed by the
combination of a sperm and an egg) becomes an embryo,
a fetus, and then a baby. This tiny mass of cells then adheres
to the inside wall of the uterus.
 Stages of Prenatal
Development
 Germinal Period
 Embryonic Period
 Fetal Period
 Germinal Period
The germinal period is the period of prenatal
development that takes place in the first two weeks after
conception, it includes the creation of the fertilized egg,
called a zygote, cell division and attachment of the
zygote to the uterine wall. Rapid cell division by the
zygote continues throughout the germinal period. At this
stage, the group of cell, now called the blastocyst,
consists of
 Cont..

An inner mass of cells that will eventually develop into the

embryo, and the trophoblast, an outer layer of cells that
later provides nutrition and support for the embryo.
Implantation, the attachment of the zygote to the uterine
wall, takes place about 11 to 15 days after conception.
 Embryonic Period:
The embryonic period is the period of prenatal
development that occurs from two to eight weeks after
conception organs appear. This period begins as the
blastocyst attaches to the uterine wall. The mass of cells is
now called an embryo , and three layers of cells form. The
embryo’s endoderm is the inner layer of cells, which will
develop into the digestive and respiratory systems. The
mesoderm is the middle layer, which will become the
circulatory system, bones, muscles, excretory system, and
reproductive system. The ectoderm is the outermost
layer, which will become the nervous system and brain,
sensory receptors, and skin parts.
Cont..

The amnion is like a bag or an envelope and contains a clear fluid in

which the developing embryo floats. The umbilical cord contains two
arteries and one vein, and connects the baby to the placenta. The
placenta consists of a disk-shaped group of tissues in which small
blood vessels from the mother and the offspring intertwine but do not
join. By the time most women know they are pregnant, the major
organs have begun to form Organogenesis, it is the process of organ
formation that takes place during the first two months of prenatal
development.
 Fetal Period:

Fetal Period, lasting about seven months is the prenatal

period between two months after conception and birth
in typical pregnancies. Three months after conception,
the fetus is about 3 inches long and weighs about 3
ounces. It has become active moving its arms, legs and
moving its head. In most cases the genital is identified as
male or female. By the end of the fifth month the fetus
is about 12 inches long and weighs close to a pound and
become more active.
 Cont..

As early as six months of pregnancy (about 24 to 25 week of

conception) the fetus for the first time has a chance of surviving
outside of the womb. By the end of seventh month, the fetus is
about 16 inches long and now weighs about 3 pounds. During the
last two months of prenatal development , fatty tissues develop and
the functioning of various organ systems, heart and kidneys steps
up. During the eighth and ninth month the fetus grows longer and
gains more weight.
 Teratology and Hazards
General Principles: A teratogen is any agent that can
potentially cause a birth defect or negatively alter cognitive
and behavioral outcomes. (The word comes from the Greek
word tera, meaning “monster.”) So many teratogens exist that
practically every fetus is exposed to at least some teratogens.
For this reason, it is difficult to determine which teratogen
causes which problem. In addition, it may take a long time for
the effects of a teratogen to show up. Only about half of all
potential effects appear at birth.
Cont..

 Dose: The dose effect is rather obvious, the greater the dose of an agent, such as a drug, the
greater the effect.
 Genetic susceptibility: The type or severity of abnormalities caused by a teratogen is linked to
the genotype of the pregnant woman and the genotype of the embryo or fetus (Lidral & Murray,
2005). For example, how a mother metabolizes a particular drug can influence the degree to
which the drug effects are transmitted to the embryo or fetus. The extent to which an embryo or
fetus is vulnerable to a teratogen may also depend on its genotype (Marinucci & others, 2009).
Also, for unknown reasons, male fetuses are far more likely to be affected by teratogens than
female fetuses.
Cont..

 Time of exposure. Teratogens do more damage when they occur

at some points in development than at others (Weiner &
Buhimschi, 2009). Damage during the germinal period may even
prevent implantation. In general, the embryonic period is more
vulnerable than the fetal period.
Hazards that effect Prenatal Development

 Prescribed and Non-prescribed drugs

 Psychotic drugs
 Environmental Hazards
 Maternal disease
 Other factors
Prescribed and Non-prescribed drugs

 Prescribed Drugs:
It includes antibiotics, some antidepressant,
some hormones, Accutane thalidomide.
 Non-Prescribed Drugs:
It includes diet, taking pills, and aspirin and
coffee during prenatal period.
 Psychotic Drugs

 These includes nicotine, caffeine, and illegal drugs such as

marijuana, cocaine, heroine.
 Act on nervous system to alter state of consciousness modify
perception and change mood.
 Cocaine: Issue maybe during pregnancy and mostly they show
after delivery. It reduce birth weight of fetus, head size may
decrease.
 Cont..

 Marijuana: Its uses cause low intelligence of fetus.

 Heroine: It causes behavioral difficulty at birth,
withdrawal symptoms, and motor control disturb.
 Alcohol: Even moderate or heavy drinking
consumption during pregnancy can result in fetal
alcohol syndrome (FAS), a cluster of abnormalities
such as facial deformities, defective limbs, face, heart,
below average intelligence and mental retardation.
Cont..

 Nicotine: Nicotine has adversely effect on prenatal development

and it may causes cardiovascular problem, breathing problem,
death after delivery.
 Caffeine: Examples of where we consume caffeine include tea,
coffee, soda and chocolate.
Environmental Hazards

 Other teratogens that affect prenatal development include

radiation, pollution, and infectious disease. Radiation increases the
risk of childhood cancer, as well as emotional and behavioral
disorders; because of this, it is recommended that pregnant
women avoid x-rays unless absolutely necessary.
 Environmental factors which have been implicated in adverse
pregnancy outcome include smoking, video display terminals,
anesthetic gases, antineoplastic drugs and exposure to lead,
selenium and inorganic mercury.
Cont..

 Environmental hazards that are harder to avoid include outdoor

pollution. Some studies have found that PM2.5, a common
particulate matter used in studies on pollution, could be
associated with some congenital anomalies.
Maternal Disease

 Maternal diseases and infections can produce

defects in offspring by crossing the placental
barrier, or they can cause damage during birth.
 Syphilis (a sexually transmitted infection) is more
damaging later in prenatal development, four
months or more after conception. Damage
include eye lestons, which cause blindness, and
skin lestons.
Cont..

 AIDS is a sexually transmitted infection that is caused by the

human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which destroys the body
immune system
 The more widespread disease of diabetes, characterized by high
level of sugar in the blood also affect offspring.
THANK YOU