Activity 1.
Factors influencing prenatal development?
Drugs (street or over the counter) ‐ Alcohol ‐ Cigarettes ‐ Disease ‐ Poor nutrition ‐ Stressors ‐ Chemicals ‐ Almost anything can impact a developing fetus.
Physical:
Birth defects or congenital defects are present at birth. They result from heredity, environmental influences, or maternal illness. Such defects range from the very minor, such as a dark spot or birthmark that may appear anywhere on the body, to more serious conditions that may result in marked disfigurement, impaired functioning, or decreased lifespan.

Chemical:
Birth defects have a variety of causes. What causes birth defects and how to prevent them has been researched for years by the world's top scientists, particularly those involved in genetic testing and engineering. Birth defects, however, and their origins and cures, still seem to elude us.
Mechanical :
Thalidomide is perhaps the most notorious example of a drug that caused defects.
It was brought on to the market without being tested on animal models, and it was specifically marketed for pregnant women.

Congenital disorder, also known as congenital disease, birth defect or anomaly,[1] is a condition existing at or before birth regardless of cause. Of these diseases, those characterized by structural deformities are termed "congenital anomalies" and involve defects in a developing fetus. Birth defects vary widely in cause and symptoms. Any substance that causes birth defects is known as a teratogen. Some disorders can be detected before birth through prenatal diagnosis (screening).
Biological:
The rubella virus, which causes German measles, poses a serious hazard to the developing baby. It can cross the placenta and attack the baby to cause a range of defects.
Fetal infection rates following maternal infection are estimated as 100 per cent up to week 10 of pregnancy, with