Vitamin A: High doses of Vitamin A during Pregnancy Produce Teratogenic Effects
Vitamin A (also known as Retinol) is one of the important and necessary nutrients for the human body. Its deficiency leads to night blindness (the patient sees less at night). But, on the contrary, high doses of vitamin A during pregnancy produce teratogenic effects on the developing baby (embryo). In other words, your baby may be having congenital defects at birth.
An analogue of vitamin A (called isotretinoin), which is used for the treatment of acne and some other skin (dermatologic) ailments, has been found to be highly teratogenic. Administration of isotretinoin during pregnancy results in production of congenital malformations in the offspring including hydrocephalus, microtia (small ears), micrognathia (undue smallness of the jaws), cleft palate, various cardiac anomalies and thymic aplasia.
In a nutshell, avoid taking high doses of vitamin A during pregnancy. However, if you are taking vitamin A before getting pregnant, contact your doctor and have some beneficial advice.
