Foetal vulnerability

Self- righting tendency - a tendency to develop normally under all but the most adverse conditions
Self- cleansing tendency - a tendency to spontaniosly abort severely malformed embryos and foetuses within the first 3 months of pregnancy
Severity of the effect a harmful substance may have on the foetus depends on a number of factors:
1. The constutution of the foetus (not all foetuses will react the same way)
2. The mother's health (risk highest when mother is younger than 20 and older than 40)
3. When the exposure occurs
  1. Germinal stage - can destroy organism completely
  2. Embryonic stage - various organs and systems may be damaged
  3. Foetal stage - likely to affect intelligence or behavior
4. The type of exposure (different substances can have different effects on the organism)
5. The amount of exposure (the greater the exposure the more severe effects on the foetus

Resource summary

	Created by Zeneatha Jònsson over 10 years ago