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Parental reproductive problems and gestational hormonal exposure in autistic and schizophrenic children

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Abstract

The incidence of infertility and two or more spontaneous abortions was significantly increased in the parents, compared to that reported for the general population, in this pilot survey of 61 patients evaluated for major childhood psychoses. In addition, 18% of our patients had a history of early gestational exposure to progesterone/estrogen compounds (9 patients) and to cortisone (2 patients). This frequency of gestational hormonė exposure was significantly increased over that in normal infants from three published surveys. However, in 5 of the 11 patients with gestational hormonal exposure, the medication was prescribed because of prior parental reproductive problems or bleeding during the current pregnancy. Therefore, it cannot be concluded that the gestational hormonal exposure was causally related to the psychoses present in these patients. In order to obtain more conclusive data, there will need to be continued monitoring of parental reproductive histories and gestational environmental exposures in autistic and schizophrenic children.

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Reference note

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuropsychiatric Institute, 760 Westwood Plaza, 90024, Los Angeles, California

    Steve J. Funderburk M.D.

  2. UCLA School of Medicine, USA

    Steve J. Funderburk M.D., Janice Carter, Peter Tanguay, Betty Jo Freeman & Joan R. Westlake

Authors
  1. Steve J. Funderburk M.D.
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  2. Janice Carter
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  3. Peter Tanguay
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  4. Betty Jo Freeman
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  5. Joan R. Westlake
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Additional information

This research was supported in part by the UCLA Mental Retardation/Child Psychiatry Division, by USPHS grant NCT-927, Maternal and Child Health Service, and by HD-04612, HD-05615, and HD-06576, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. We are grateful to Linda Wake for psychological testing, to Debra Deitrich and Marcia Greensite for coordinating patient visits, and to Judith Hohl for assistance with preparation of the manuscript.

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Funderburk, S.J., Carter, J., Tanguay, P. et al. Parental reproductive problems and gestational hormonal exposure in autistic and schizophrenic children. J Autism Dev Disord 13, 325–332 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531570

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531570

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