 |
NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Friday, February 10, 2012
|
|
|
NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Friday, February 10, 2012
|
| Home | HealthTopics | Health Centers | Reference Library | Research |
 Join us on Facebook
|
Share on Facebook | Tweet |
|
Inherited Disorders and Birth Defects |
CAN A CLEFT PALATE BE DETECTED BEFORE PREGNAN02/23/2000 |
I HAVE A BILATERAL CLEFT LIP AND PALATE I WAS WONDERINGG IF THEY CAN DETECT THIS EARLY INTO A PREGNANCY AND IF IT COULD BE REVERSED BEFORE BIRTH. ALSO, WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF MY CHILDREN HAVING THE SAME DEFECT
Cleft lip, with or without cleft palate, is a very common birth defect. About 1 out of 700 to 1000 newborns are born with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate.Failure of the lip and/or palate (roof of the mouth) to close happens early in gestation - about 6-8 weeks of pregnancy. Cleft lip and palate can be diagnosed during pregnancy with a very good ultrasound examination, specifically looking for the abnormality - This can be diagnosed usually at about 13 weeks of gestation. Cleft palate is more difficult to diagnose during pregnancy, but can be looked for at about 18 weeks of gestation.
I am not aware of any center offering surgery during pregnancy that can correct the defect prior to the birth of the baby. Surgery following birth usually has excellent results.
Usually, isolated (no other birth defects present) cleft lip and/or cleft palate is due to a combination of genetics and environmental factors. The chance it could happen again is based on many factors including the number of affected persons in your family, the closeness (blood relation) of affected relatives, your race, your sex and the severity of the clefts. The best person to provide this information would be a geneticist or genetic counselor - they could look at your family history, and other factors, to tell you what chance your children may have of also being born with a cleft lip and palate.
You can ask your doctor for a referral or contact the National Society of Genetic Counselors below to find a genetics center near you.
There is also good information available for families with cleft lip and/or cleft palate at the Cleft Palate Foundation website below.
|
Anne Matthews, RN, PhD Associate Professor of Genetics Department of Genetics School of Medicine Case Western Reserve University |
|
|
|
Please note: only your personal physician or other health professional you consult can best advise you on matters of your health based on your medical history, your family medical history, your medication history, and how information from any of these databases may apply to you. Neither University of Cincinnati (NetWellness) nor any party involved in creating, producing or delivering this web site shall be liable for any damages arising out of access to or use of this web site, or any errors or omissions in the content thereof. (More) 
|