By MotherToBaby, a service of the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) Why should pregnant women care about influenza? Isn’t Zika a bigger deal? The second you get pregnant, the advice starts coming in from everyone. No eating unpasteurized cheese (Listeria!), don’t change the cat litter (Toxoplasmosis!), and definitely don’t travel to South America (Zika!). While these are all valid concerns, influenza tends to get forgotten, and dismissed as “just the flu.” The Influenza …
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Baby Blog: “Spread Prevention, Not the Infection” during Pregnancy
By MotherToBaby’s Kirstie Perrotta, MPH, Lorrie Harris-Sagaribay, MPH, Robert Felix and Susan Sherman of the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) Zika Task Force “It’s 2018! I didn’t even know you could get syphilis nowadays!” Yes, I mentioned the stats about syphilis and other infections that can affect pregnancy to the caller who had contacted me through our free MotherToBaby helpline. I thought, this is a great time to educate her as well as others about a variety of …
Fact Sheet: Insect Repellents
This sheet is about exposure to insect repellents in a pregnancy and while breastfeeding. This information should not take the place of medical care and advice from your healthcare provider. What are insect repellents? Insect repellents are lotions, sprays, or oils that are put on skin or clothing to lower the chance of bites from mosquitoes, flies, ticks, and spiders (“insects”). Insects can carry serious diseases such as malaria, Lyme disease, West Nile virus, and Zika virus. Having any …
Fact Sheet: Pesticides
This sheet is about exposure to pesticides in pregnancy and while breastfeeding. This information is based on available published literature. It should not take the place of medical care and advice from your healthcare provider. What are pesticides? Pesticide are substances used to prevent or destroy “pests” such as weeds, insects, animals (rodents and other), fungus and parasites that can harm crops or people. For example, pesticides are used to lower the number of mosquitoes which may …
Fact Sheet: Paternal Exposures
This sheet is about paternal exposures. This information is based on available published literature. It should not take the place of medical care and advice from your healthcare provider. What is a paternal exposure? A paternal exposure is anything a male parent or sperm donor is exposed to before a pregnancy is conceived, while trying to conceive pregnancy, or after their partner is pregnant. This includes things such as prescription or over-the-counter medications, substance use …