Great B. Student
Psych 205
Strayer
May 28, 2003
The Monsters of Prenatal Development
When most people think about prenatal development, it is assumed that most of the
responsibility is on the mother’s health choices. However, more recent studies have found that
this assumption is not necessarily true. There is now more evidence showing that the choices the
father makes, prior to conception, will effect the baby pre and post natal.
When the mother first finds out she is pregnant, she is told of the choices that she should and
should not make. Many doctors say that she will need to eat more calories, eat good foods, stay
away from drugs and alcohol. watch caffeine intake, exercise regularly, get tested for STD’s,
keep stress levels down, and wear a seat belt (Check 22). Although women are told by their
doctors to perform these daily duties after conception, it is also necessary to perform them before
conception, to ensure a healthy pregnancy.
Historically, men have been ignored in the process of a healthy conception. That is until now.
More studies have revealed that what men do, eat, and work around will have some effect on the
quality of their sperm and the health of their baby. Teratogens play an important role in this
process. However, it is not teratogens alone that determine the health of the baby. Important
factors include the dose of the teratogen, genetics, other negative domains, and age of the
organism (Berk 86).
The most obvious domain that doctors warn women against prior to conception, and after
conception, is drugs and alcohol. It is necessary for women to stay away from these substances to
Student
2
ensure that their baby will be healthy. Men need to stay away from these substances, as well.
One substance that has been studies extensively is the effects of marijuana. Men that smoke
marijuana typically produce less sperm, have lower testosterone levels, lower sperm count, and
have the possibility of having abnormally shaped sperm. Not only does marijuana have these
effects upon the males sperm, but it may also effect the quality of the pregnancy or becoming
pregnant. Chromosomal damage in the sperm may occur, problems in conception, miscarriages,
and birth defects are all results of a male smoking marijuana. Cocaine has similar effects upon
conception and the health of the baby (Berger 46).
Men that consume alcohol, both from short term and long term drinking, can effect the health
for their baby. Men that drink can change the change shape of their sperm. The sperm may
develop a deformed head, curled tail, or a swollen midpiece. Other abnormal shapes of sperm
have also been reported in men that drink (Berger 47).
A study from the University of Washington showed evidence that in men that drink had a
higher risk of infertility from low testosterone levels. The study also revealed that babies that
were born from men that drank at least two glasses of wine or two bottles of beer a day, weighed
significantly less than babies that were born with fathers that were occasional drinkers
(Merewood 44).
When looking at overall health issues, smoking is a another factor that can alter that quality
of the males sperm. Tobacco addicts typically have a reduced number of sperm. Men that smoke
a half a pack a day can drop their sperm density by up to 20% (Merewood 44). Not only does it
effect the sperm count, but it also effects the shape and motility of the sperm itself (Berger 4849).
Student
3
A Danish study found evidence that when fathers smokes daily, the birth weight of the baby
fell 4.2 ounces below average. The study also found that smoking fathers were more likely to
father children with abnormalities such as, hydrocephalus, Bell’s palsy, and mouth cysts. The
children of smoking fathers were also more likely to develop brain cancer, lymphoma, and
leukemia by 20% over children with non-smoking fathers (Merewood 44).
These prior teratogens are the ones that people are most concerned about because they are the
ones that most people have control over. However, there are teratogens in many environments
where people work and live. There are 60,000 chemicals in commercial use. Only three of these
chemicals have been thoroughly tested on the effects of human reproduction. The three
chemicals are called metallic lead, the pesticide dibromochloropropane, and the pharmaceutical
solvent ethylene oxide. That leaves 59,997 chemicals that people are left unaware of the effects
of human reproduction (Berger 49). Studies have shown some evidence that men that work in
these “high-risk” industries have a greater chance of fathering still born children, children with
leukemia, spontaneous abortions, defects in their children’s brain development, children with
Wilms’ tumor and other kidney cancers (Merewood 43).
These teratogens cannot be the only factor in the health of the fathers’ babies. Many times
these teratogens are paired with other negative factors such as, poor diet, lack of exercise,
strenuous exercise, and heat.
Now more than ever, men need to be warned about the effects that they may have on their
unborn child. They need to know what they are around at work and at home to insure that they
have healthy sperm before conception. Men should also know that their sperm will regenerate
every 90 days, so if they are around anything harmful they can avoid it for 90 days and have a
healthy child (Merewood 44).
Student
4
I am so glad to have heard about this information before I have started my family. My future
husband and I can plan ahead and stay away from teratogens when we finally decide to start our
family. That is, of course, unless we have an “accident”!
Works Cited
Berger, Gary S. M.D., Marc Goldstein M.D., and Mark Fuerst. The Couple’s Guide to Fertility.
New York: Doubleday, 1989.
Berk, Laura E. Development Through the Lifespan. 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001.
Check, Erika. “What Moms Can Do Now.” Annual Editions: Human Development 02/03. Ed.
Karen L. Freiberg. Guilford: McGraw, 2002. 22.
Merewood, Anne. “Sperm Under Siege”. Health. 1991.