When Defective Drugs Cause Birth Defects

Clomid, a commonly prescribed fertility treatment drug, is prescribed to help women become pregnant.  When not properly monitored, the very drug that helps get you pregnant has been linked to an increased risk of several birth defects. A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control found that women who use Clomid two months before conception and during the first month of pregnancy have an increased risk of giving birth to a child with potentially life threatening birth defects.

Birth Defects Associated with Clomid include:

• Anencephaly (open cranium with the absence of a brain);
• Esophageal atresia (closed or underdeveloped esophagus);
• Omphalocele (the infant’s intestine or other abdominal organs protrude from the belly button (navel);
• Craniosynostosis (premature fusion of the skull bones, leading to an abnormally shaped head);
• Cloacal exstrophy (multiple abnormalities of the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts);
• Hypospadias & Penoscrotal Hypospadias (opening of the urethra is on the underside rather than the end);
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); and
• Limb Reduction Deficit Heart defects

Clomid, an ovulatory stimulant, functions very similar to estrogen (a female hormone that causes eggs to develop in the ovaries and be released).  Clomid is taken once a day for five days, starting on or around day five of the patient’s cycle. It is also used to treat male infertility, menstrual abnormalities, fibrocystic breasts, and persistent breast milk production.

The FDA has classified Clomid as a Category X drug, indicating that there is evidence that indicates that birth defects can occur when used during pregnancy. The FDA strongly suggests that patients taking Clomid be tested during each treatment cycle to determine whether ovulation has occured. Careful evaluation throughout usage is critical.  Clomid patients should be monitored for pregnancy, ovarian enlargement, and ovarian cyst formation. Clomid treatment should not continue until a professional verifies that pregnancy, ovarian enlargement, and ovarian cyst formation have not occured.

Initially, association between Clomid and birth defects was determined to be inconclusive until the Journal of Human Reproduction published a study from the CDC that found a significant association with nine types of birth defects following use of Clomid. The study, which interviewed women from 10 US regions who gave birth between October 1997 and December 2005, and evaluated women who gave birth to a child with at least one of 30 birth defects as well as mothers of live born infants without a major birth defect.

Other studies have also pointed to an association between Clomid and birth defects, including a study of 2,339 Clomid-assisted pregnancies which found approximately 58 reported cases of associated birth defects and reproductive complications.

If you were prescribed Clomid and your child was born with a birth defect including:

• Down’s Syndrome,
• Club foot,
• Cleft lip and/or cleft palate,
• Spina Bifida,
• Blindness,
• Hernia (inguinal and umbilical), or a
•  Muscular Ventricular Septal Defects

contact the Strom Law Firm, LLC today for a free consultation to discuss your legal rights.  The birth defects associated with Clomid are serious, and some are life threatening. Our personal injury lawyers will fight for you to receive the compensation you deserve.