Birth Defect Prevention
Birth defects can happen for many reasons. Not all birth defects can be prevented. The following recommendations for before and during pregnancy can reduce the chances of birth defects.
Talk with your health care provider
If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, talking with your health care provider is an important step. Regular visits with your provider before and during pregnancy are important. Try to keep all prenatal care appointments. Be sure to talk with your provider about:
- Medical conditions that may affect pregnancy.
- Whether anyone in your family was born with a birth defect.
- Medications you take, and before starting or stopping any medication.
- Vaccinations recommended during pregnancy.
Avoid harmful substances
Using nicotine containing produce, drinking alcohol, or using illicit drugs can cause problems during pregnancy. This includes premature birth, birth defects, and infant death. If you can’t stop drinking, smoking, or using drugs, get help. Resources are available. Contact your health care provider, call 800-QUIT-NOW, or find a local support group, like Alcoholics Anonymous.
Take care of your overall health
An important part of having a healthy pregnancy is making sure your health needs are being met.
- Manage existing health conditions, such as diabetes.
- Prevent infections, such as COVID-19 and cytomegalovirus.
- Treat fevers higher than 101 F.
- Try to maintain a healthy weight.
- Avoid hot tubs or other environments that might lead to overheating.
Get 400 micrograms of folic acid every day
Folic acid is a B vitamin. Having enough folic acid in your body before and during pregnancy can help prevent birth defects of the brain and spine. You can get folic acid from fortified foods, such as cereals, supplements, or a combination of the two.
Wisconsin birth defect prevention programming
Through a competitive application process, Well Badger was granted two years of funding to create and disseminate a statewide birth defect prevention campaign.
The campaign focused around six topics:
- Folic acid
- Sexual transmitted infections
- Prenatal care
- Substance use
- Vaccinations, and
- Basic needs.
Learn more about the Well Badger Resource Center, a one-stop connection to community, social, health, and government programs–a place to find what you need, when you need it.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus. In healthy children and adults, CMV typically causes cold symptoms like runny nose, couch, and sore throat. CMV can cause more severe illness in people with weakened immune systems. Babies who are exposed to CMV before they are born are at risk for severe disease or death. This is known as congenital CMV (cCMV). Newborns exposed to CMV may or may not have symptoms and still be at risk for cCMV.
The Cytomegalovirus Wisconsin Screening Prevention and Early Recognition (CMV WiSPER) Project began in 2024 in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Pediatrics. The CMV WiSPER Project hopes to reduce the transmission of CMV to pregnant people, identify newborns without symptoms, and improve early recognition of symptomatic cCMV and complications of CMV in otherwise well-appearing infants. The CMV WiSPER Project will:
- Establish and convene a statewide taskforce on congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) to gather input from individuals and agencies with professional experience and lived experience with cCMV to develop and disseminate best practices for newborn screening and follow up and audiological follow up for CMV positive babies.
- Promote community outreach and education regarding cCMV prevention and screening.
- Develop a report outlining gap areas and remaining steps for implementing high-quality, systemic cCMV screening statewide.
Learn more about CMV.
- National CMV Foundation
- About Cytomegalovirus –CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Are you pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant? P-03651, cCMV awareness flier (PDF)
While we do not know what causes all birth defects, we do know that there are things that can decrease the chances of birth defects.
- Take 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid every day at least one month prior to getting pregnant.
- Get up to date on vaccinations and prevent infections.
- Plan a visit with your health care provider to discuss your overall health and talk about medications you take.
- Avoid harmful substances, such as alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
- Care for your whole self through exercise, healthy diet, and mental health care.
- If you, your partner, or someone in your families has a birth defect, you may want to see a genetic counselor.
People who want to learn more about their risk of having a baby with a birth defect and ways to prevent birth defects can talk with a genetics counselor or their health care provider.