The cause of mothers carrying babies with Down syndrome is not known for certain. However, there is Several factors are thought to increase the risk of pregnant women giving birth to children with this condition, ranging from genetic disorders, heredity, to unhealthy habits.
Down syndrome is a disease that makes sufferers have learning difficulties, growth barriers, and a distinctive physical form.
Some of the physical characteristics possessed by people with Down syndrome include a short neck, small head size, slightly flat face, distinctive eye shape, short body, and short fingers. Some children born with this condition also have congenital heart disease, hearing loss, and thyroid problems.
What Causes Mothers Carrying Down Syndrome Babies?
Down syndrome occurs due to a genetic disorder that causes DNA components to form abnormally. This causes the growth and function of the fetal organs to become abnormal.
Unfortunately, until now it is not known exactly what causes the fetus to experience these abnormalities. However, several studies have found that there are several factors that can increase a woman's risk of giving birth to a child with this genetic disorder, namely:
1. Getting pregnant at an older age
The risk of a mother carrying a Down syndrome baby increases with age during pregnancy. Some studies state that the risk of giving birth to a baby with Down syndrome will be higher in pregnant women over the age of 35 years.
This may be because the older a woman gets, the quality of her eggs will decrease, so that it can cause disturbances in the formation of genetic components at conception.
However, this cannot be used as the main benchmark, because not a few pregnant women under 35 years of age give birth to children with Down syndrome.
2. Have a history of giving birth to children with Down syndrome
The risk of a mother carrying a Down syndrome baby will also increase if she has previously given birth to a baby suffering from this condition. Although very rare, Down syndrome can also be inherited from parents.
Therefore, periodic prenatal check-ups are needed to determine whether there are genetic abnormalities in the fetus that indicate Down syndrome.
3. Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy
Pregnant women who frequently consume alcohol or smoke are also said to have a higher risk of carrying a baby with Down syndrome. This is presumably because these two bad habits can make genetic components or fetal DNA more susceptible to damage and not formed properly, resulting in Down syndrome.
4. Frequent exposure to pollution and toxic substances
One of the risk factors thought to contribute to causing the fetus to develop Down syndrome is exposure to pollution and toxic substances during pregnancy. Exposure to this pollution can occur when pregnant women inhale a lot of cigarette smoke, motor vehicles, or factory smoke.
Meanwhile, toxic substances that are thought to increase the risk of Down syndrome come from pesticides, factory waste, to heavy metals, such as arsenic, lead, and mercury.
5. Malnutrition during pregnancy
Adequate nutrition plays a very important role for a healthy pregnancy. This also applies to reducing the risk of Down syndrome in the fetus.
According to some health research, mothers who lack certain nutrients, such as folate, protein, iron, vitamin D, and omega-3, are said to be at higher risk for giving birth to babies with Down syndrome.
Because some of the above can increase the risk of a baby having Down syndrome, pregnant women need to avoid it. In addition, do a gynecological examination to the doctor on a regular basis.
In diagnosing Down syndrome in the fetus, the doctor will perform a series of medical examinations which include ultrasound (USG) and genetic testing (DNA test) on the fetus.