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Housecall Archives
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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Mayo Clinic Housecall
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Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffMost cases of cerebral palsy can't be prevented, despite the best efforts of parents and doctors. But, if you're pregnant, you can take these steps to keep healthy and minimize the possibility of pregnancy complications:
- Make sure you're immunized. Immunization against diseases such as rubella may prevent an infection that could cause fetal brain damage.
- Take care of yourself. The healthier you are heading into a pregnancy, the less likely you'll be to develop an infection that may result in cerebral palsy.
- Seek early and continuous prenatal care. Regular visits to your doctor during your pregnancy are a good way to reduce health risks to you and your unborn baby. Seeing your doctor regularly can help prevent premature birth, low birth weight and infections.
References
- Cerebral palsy: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cerebral_palsy/detail_cerebral_palsy.htm. Accessed Sept. 2, 2008.
- Miller G. Epidemiology and etiology of cerebral palsy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 2, 2008.
- Miller G. Clinical features and diagnosis of cerebral palsy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 3, 2008.
- Parmet S, et al. JAMA patient page: Chickenpox. Journal of the American Medical Association. Accessed Sept. 4, 2008.
- Neurological consequences of cytomegalovirus infection information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cytomegalic/cytomegalic.htm. Accessed Sept. 4, 2008.
- Toxoplasmosis: Pregnant women. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/toxoplasmosis/pregnant.html. Accessed Sept. 4, 2008.
- CDC fact sheet: Syphilis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/std/Syphilis/syphilis-fact-sheet.pdf. Accessed Sept. 4, 2008.
- Meningitis and encephalitis fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/encephalitis_meningitis/detail_encephalitis_meningitis.htm. Accessed Sept. 4, 2008.
- Neurological diagnostic tests and procedures. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/misc/diagnostic_tests.htm. Accessed Sept. 4, 2008.
- Miller G. Management and prognosis of cerebral palsy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 5, 2008.
