Preventing Autism in Pregnancy | Healthy tips

As soon as the pregnancy test comes back positive parents will do anything to protect their baby-to-be. That includes doing what they can to lower their childs risk for autism spectrum disorders ASD which affect 1 in 68 children. Some research says this can start before birth. One study in the New England Journal of Medicine found differences in the brains of children with autism as early as the second trimester of pregnancy. While researchers havent been able to pinpoint a definite cause ASD likely develops from a combination of factors. Some cases may primarily have a genetic cause and others may have a primarily environmental cause but most cases probably result from the interaction of both. While you cant do much to change genetics you can alter your exposure to certain environmental factors that have shown a link to ASD. However none of these lifestyle changes are absolutes - experts cant tell you that lowering your exposure to one particular factor will lower your childs risk. Evidence about environmental risk during pregnancy is really at its infancy so any data-supported hypotheses must be investigated further as nothing is yet considered a certain cause. The key is for pregnant women to take some safe proactive steps like these that can potentially protect their babies.

Reduce exposure to air pollution
Perhaps the most convincing and consistent environmental association with autism risk to date is pregnancy exposure to air pollution. One by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that the risk doubled for children born to women exposed to high levels of pollution particularly in the third trimester. The higher the levels of exposure the greater the risk. However thats just part of the story. The challenge has become understanding what component of air pollution may be relevant as this implicates hundreds of chemicals from multiple sources explains Dr. Fallin. In general the American Lung Association recommends several ways to protect yourself from air pollution: for instance fill your gas tank up after dark exercise away from highly-trafficked areas and when pollution levels are high take your workout indoors. You can check out your daily air quality levels at www.airnow.gov.

Avoid Toxic Chemicals
There seems to be an increased risk for ASD associated with maternal exposure to certain chemicals during pregnancy thought a lot more research needs to be done. For instance one recent study found environmental exposures associated with autism specifically traffic-related pollutants some metals and several pesticides and phthalates. It can get confusing to figure out exactly which chemicals such as those found in flame-retardants plastics and even cosmetics to avoid. Talk to your doctor about whats right for you - you might want to limit your intake of canned foods avoid water bottles made of plastic or aluminum and stay away from personal care products that list fragrance as an ingredient.

Check Your Meds
Researchers have found potential links between the medication a mother takes while pregnant and autism risk. For instance use of anti-depressants SSRIs specifically has shown association with autism across multiple studies. Also a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association has shown that valproate a medication used to treat epilepsy and other neurological disorders can increase the risk for autism. Its crucial that you work with your doctor to determine whether the benefits of any medications you take outweigh the risks. In many cases they will: If a mother has epilepsy it is very important that it be controlled during pregnancy even if that requires valproate explains Dr. Wang. If the mother has a seizure while pregnant that is potentially a much bigger risk to the fetus than the drug that controls her seizures.