Getting Real About Pregnancy: Can You Change the Risk of Autism?

Autism will often present itself within the first year of your child’s life. In some cases, children will develop normally for the first year and then present with regression starting around 18 to 24 months old. According to genetics expert Dr. Richard Williams, the cause may be much earlier in children, happening during pregnancy.

Williams — whose daughter is autistic — elaborated on the statistics related to a child being born autistic. “50% of the incidences of autism come from a very large gene pool of very small mutations. The other 50% of incidences result from gene modifications that occur after fertilization, i.e. during pregnancy,” Williams told Mom.com.

Of this last 50%, 20% are not well understood by doctors and scientists. There are implications that these are from environmental factors and events. Williams elaborates that environmental factors and events may include, “inflammation from viral infections, chronic systemic inflammation, and environmental pollutants.” By understanding what is happening, you may be able to change the risk of your child becoming autistic in some instances.

Williams explains that there are around 200 genes that have been widely studied experience “large mutations or changes in the DNA that can result in severe autism.” He continues by noting that the other 50% cases “come from a very large gene pool of very small mutations.”

If autism has strong genetic links, one has to wonder what can be done during pregnancy to reduce the chances of your child developing the disorder. As Williams explains, inflammation has a lot to do with a high percentage of autism development, and notes that reducing exposure to smoking and smog can reduce pollutants causing inflammation. Studies have also suggested that certain checmicals can raise autism risk — although, even if unproven, avoiding exposure is still good practice for pregnant women.

Having as healthy of a pregnancy as possible may reduce your chances of having a child with autism. According to Virgil G. Damon, professor of epidemiology and obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University, pregnancy weight may have an influence. “It has been suggested that gaining gestational weight outside the current recommended guidelines may play a critical role in triggering the manifestations of [autism] phenotypes in predisposing individuals during the prenatal period,” Damon wrotie in a study published in the journal Obesity.

Additionally, Vitamin D has shown promise in fetuses to improve neurological development. Eating foods high in anti-oxidants will also help reduce inflammation. These foods include leafy green vegetables and fruits. By staying in good health, you’ll also reduce any chances of viral infections when pregnant that could adversely affect the fetus. Avoid alcohol and drugs that tax your body’s system to do well and can harm your baby leading to birth defects.

While doctors agree that you can’t prevent all situations where autism will develop in a baby, you can increase your chances of having a healthy baby by eating well, taking the right vitamins including folic acid, and reducing your chances of becoming sick while pregnant.

There can be a lot of anxiety during pregnancy worrying about your unborn baby. Karen Aronian shared her experience with Mom.com. “When I found out that I was having a boy during my second pregnancy, I knew that the risk of autism incidence was higher, as boys are four times more likely than girls to be on the spectrum.”

However, make sure to take a critical eye to research that you do on your own — many studies are controversial, and you should talk to your doctor before making any decisions that will affect you and your baby.

For example, there is concern by parents that vaccines cause autism. But according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vaccines do not cause autism based on scientific studies. The onset coincides with many milestones and vaccination schedules. In fact, it is recommended that expectant moms get the rubella vaccine to prevent rubella-associated autism.

Also, many women are opting to not get epidurals during labor because some studies showed there was an increased chance of a boy developing autism when delivered after having an epidural administered. However, a more recent study conducted by Stanford Medicine showed there is no correlation between epidurals and children with autism.

“We did not find evidence for any genuine link between having an epidural and putting your baby at increased risk of autism spectrum disorder,” senior author Alexander Butwick, MD, said in the study that was published in April of 2021.