Search For Causes And Early Markers For Autism Begins In Pregnancy
Main Category: AutismAlso Included In: Biology / Biochemistry; Conferences
Article Date: 09 Aug 2007 - 6:00 PDT
email to a friend 
printer friendly 
opinions
| Patient / Public: |  |
3.75 (4 votes) |
| Healthcare Prof: |  |
3.33 (3 votes) |
| Article Opinions: | 13 posts |
What: Pregnant women and new mothers who already have one child with autism joined UC Davis researchers and officials from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as they announced funding of $7.5 million for UC Davis autism research. Part of the funding will go to a new autism study called MARBLES (Markers of Autism Risk in Babies--Learning Early Signs), which begins the search for causes and early markers for the disorder during pregnancy.
Who: A participant in the pilot phase of MARBLES talked about why she became involved in the study.
* Irva Hertz-Picciotto, an expert on how environmental chemicals affect child development and MARBLES principal investigator, shared her inspiration for launching the study, insights from the pilot phase of the study, various assessments involved and expected outcomes.
* Isaac Pessah, a molecular bioscientist and director of the UC Davis Center for Children's Environmental Health, which sponsors MARBLES, talked about the center's commitment to research that aims to discover the connections between environmental toxins and the onset of autism.
* Wayne Nastri, regional administrator for U.S. EPA Region 9, and Cindy Lawler, health science administrator for the NIEHS, discussed their ongoing funding for and collaboration with the center to fund unique autism research.
Conference ID: 10973037
Topic: MARBLES Study Leader name: Karen Finney
Why: Autism is a pervasive, lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that causes poor verbal and communication skills, repetitive behaviors and impaired social abilities. It is estimated that one in every 150 children in the United States currently has autism or a closely related disorder. The UC Davis Center for Children's Environmental Health is a multi-disciplinary research center dedicated to finding how toxic chemicals affect child development, including autism.
###
Source: Karen Finney
University of California, Davis - Health System
Visit our autism section for the latest news on this subject.
MLA
14 Feb. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/78984.php>
APA
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/78984.php.
Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.
|
Rate this article: (Hover over the stars then click to rate) |
Patient / Public: |
or |
Health Professional: |
Visitor Opinions In Chronological Order (13)
Birth Control Pills
posted by D Vanderdonck on 9 Aug 2007 at 9:13 amAutism has to be something that has affected a whole generation of women. This generation has been on birth control pills. As a grandmother of two Autistic grandchildren I know the nightmare and I think birth control pills should be investigated.
I Agree
posted by jane on 31 Oct 2007 at 7:23 amI agree with the birth control pill connection re autism. Why has no one investigated this? I think it's because if they did find that the pill caused autism, the government could not manage the political repercussions. Someone should do a study on autistic rates among children of those who never took birth control pills.
Please Research Possible Link!
posted by Vicki Harrold on 16 Apr 2008 at 8:28 amI have been hearing for the past few years about growing numbers of parents who refuse to vaccinate their small children against preventable diseases. Without knowing more than they've overheard from other parents, these parents are leaving their children wide open to dreaded diseases that, in past generations, would kill or possible handicap our children.
It is clear that something in our lifestyle or environment is causing a huge increase in autism. For me, it has seemed strange that something as commonly used and widespread in popularity is not being researched as a cause for autism....I am referring to birth control pills.
I have daughters in their 20's who began taking them to treat their acne as teens. One of them has continued on them just to regulate her otherwise-non-existent menstrual cycles. It seems there are many uses for bcp's, and now they are even advertising them with perks it seems ~ they calm your mood swings, curtail bloating and make your periods lighter and shorter.
What are we messing with here? How does a person get the attention of the medical 'powers that be' to urgently research a possible link between birth control pills and autism. It is frightening to think of the future ramifications of our unborn children, with newer and more hybrid birth control pills being introduced regularly.
The Pill And Autism
posted by Joy Bergin on 4 May 2009 at 9:17 pmI am sooo relieved to hear that SOMEONE other than myself agrees with the fact that "the pill" and autism needs to be researched. I have been saying, ever since my good friend had a child with autism and was taking the pill for the entire first month of pregnancy (not knowing she was pregnant).
Since, I have spoken to several moms of autistic children ALL to discover the common link to "the pill". What is wrong with our medical field that they can ignore such an obvious link. Who do I contact to bring this to their attention?
Pill/ Autism
posted by Janet Gaspar on 9 Jun 2009 at 7:04 pmThis is something that occurred to me, I think the way it would work would be by affecting the choice of partner...I came to thinking this way because I have a son with 'atypical' asperger's syndrome and dyspraxia and a daughter who has AS traits....and yet I never took the pill. BUT I have rhesus negative blood group, which has the effect of raising the possibility of rejection of the foetus (after your first pregnancy you are given a jab to prevent this).
What I think is that the pill causes women to end up with partners who are possibly too genetically similar (there has been research on change in odour preference on BCP), in a similar way to the rhesus negative thing where pregnancies that are successful are the result of getting under the immune systems radar.
The whole process of attraction /having children/ staying together as families has been distorted; I think we can see the results of this and the high rates of ASD are just the most salient (because uncomfortable for society).
Link Birth Control Pills Autism
posted by Becky Schenck on 15 Jul 2009 at 10:06 pmHow many children with autism will it take to spur an investigation into a possible link? We worry about immunizations and additives in food. But no one is concerned about giving our daughters as young as 12 artificial hormones. It's time to revaluate.Why do we buy hormone free milk organic meats and produce only to purposely ingest birth control hormones? I fear our children are paying for our foolishness !!!
Autism / Birth Control
posted by Lisa on 5 Feb 2010 at 10:16 amOk, if birth control pills stop you from releasing an egg, then you have all these eggs hanging out in your ovaries that should have been released months or years before. Wouldn't it make sense that a baby conceived of one of the eggs that should have been released would have health issues?
It has been shown that women over 40 are at a very high risk of having a baby with Down Syndrome. Doesn't it make sense that this is caused because the eggs are 40 years old? Wouldn't it then follow that eggs that have not released when they were supposed to would cause issues for those babies?
I wish someone would do research on this subject... if people like me (who don't have medical degrees) can think of this, then why can't doctors think of this? I can only guess it has to do with the pharmaceutical companies who make billions of dollars selling birth control.
I'm Not The Only One?
posted by B Miller on 20 Apr 2010 at 6:38 pmWow, I can't believe that I am not the only one who has thought of this! Why hasn't the possible cause of BCP's been researched or at least offered to the public for possible questioning? It may not be the sole cause but it should at least be considered as a potential contributor to autism if hormones play an important part in sensory processing.
Birth Control And Autism
posted by marcia bologna on 11 May 2010 at 3:04 pmWell, I'm with those people who wonder what happens to all those eggs, and the healthy red blood that is supposed to be released every month! While it is being held inside of a woman's body. Also I think women don't want to admit they did something to cause autism. It's easier to blame someone else. Immunizations, preservatives, hormones, pharmaceutical companies, look at yourself first. When you want it all, and put childbearing off by birth control or your job, what can you expect. We as women were made to bear children to keep the world revolving. Be aware of the research that has been done about women that get breast cancer, who have not had children, a natural function of the human body. It's your life, it's your body, it's your choice.......
Gender-related (autism)
posted by Erin on 25 Aug 2010 at 8:59 pmA big factor to consider is that autism is gender related. Way, way more boys (like 4-9x as many boys) have autism. Wouldn't it make sense that hormones play a role? Chromosomes or hormones - that's the difference, seems to me.
First 10 opinions shown. For all opinions, click through to the full thread.
Add Your Opinion
Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.
If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.
All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)
Contact Our News Editors
For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.
Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:
Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.
Privacy Policy |
Terms and Conditions
MediLexicon International Ltd
Bexhill-on-Sea, United Kingdom
MediLexicon International Ltd © 2004-2012 All rights reserved.
