Recent News

New Fact Sheets Now Available!

If you have questions regarding the potential effects of the following on your pregnancy or breastfeeding baby:

Montelukast (Singulair®)

Loratadine (Claritin®)

Corticosteroids - inhaled

Risperidone (Risperdal®)

Click on any of the links above or click here.

CTIS' Experts Offer Answers To Pregnant Women Concerned About The Pertussis Vaccine

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The California Department of Public Health announced recently it has expanded pertussis (whooping cough) vaccination recommendations to include several vulnerable groups of people, including women of childbearing age. The Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), a non-profit with affiliates across North America that aims to prevent birth defects, along with its California affiliate, CTIS Pregnancy Health Information Line, answers questions from pregnant women concerned the vaccine could impact their pregnancy.

 Pregnant Women With Psoriasis May Be At Increased Risk For Pregnancy Complications

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Pregnant women with psoriasis may be at increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, according to research just published in the British Journal of Dermatology. 

The Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) Autoimmune Diseases in Pregnancy Project compared the prevalence of selected risk factors between 170 pregnant women with psoriasis and 158 non-diseased pregnant women. The research study was coordinated at the University of California, San Diego.  

The Best Minds In The Field Of Teratology Present Breakthrough Research At Annual Conference

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - CTIS Pregnancy Health Information Line joined other similar services and teratology information specialists (birth defect counselors) from around the world at the 23rd annual OTIS conference.

The conference, held June 26 in Louisville, Kentucky, brings together researchers and counselors to discuss new and ongoing research in the study of birth defects. "The conference aims to share knowledge that will improve the quantity and quality of data upon which pregnant women and women planning pregnancies are counseled," said Sonia Alvarado, a CTIS Counselor Supervisor.

CTIS Scientific Advisory Board Member Featured In Radio Interview; Talks Obesity & Pregnancy

San Diego, Calif. - Dr. Jessica Kingston, an OBGYN for UC San Diego and Scientific Advisory Board Member for CTIS Pregnancy Health Information Line, was featured Wednesday on KPBS Radio. She sheds her expertise on the dangers of obesity during pregnancy. To hear the full interview, click here.

CTIS: Who We Are

CTIS Pregnancy Health Information Line recently gave cameras a behind-the-scenes look at what counselors do and why they love helping women. Take a look at the video here.

CTIS Founder and Father of FAS Recognized By National Organization

San Diego, Calif. - Dr. Kenneth Lyons Jones, founder of the CTIS Pregnancy Health Information Line, Chief of the Division of Dysmorphology/Teratology at the University of California, San Diego's Department of Pediatrics, and a pioneer in the teratology world, was recognized as "Medical Expert of the Month" by the national Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS). Dr. Jones was one of just two doctors who first identified Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) in 1973. He is considered to be the father of FAS. Read more about his latest honorable recognition by clicking here.

CTIS Program Director Featured on UCSD-TV

San Diego, Calif. - CTIS Pregnancy Health Information Line Program Director Dr. Christina Chambers shares her expertise on preventing birth defects on UCSD-TV's "Health Matters" program. Watch the clip by clicking here.

Asthma Drugs: New Fact Sheets Now Available

Have questions about your asthma drugs and their potential impacts on pregnancy or breastfeeding? The Organization of Teratology Information Specialists has created new Fact Sheets regarding:

Albuterol

Oil Spill Sparks Pregnancy Concerns; Counselors Offer Facts

On April 20, 2010 an explosion caused an oil rig to leak large amounts of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.  This has raised concerns for pregnant women living near the spill.  In general, residents are expected to have only low level exposures and minimal to no symptoms, and therefore should be reassured that their pregnancies are not likely to be at increased risk.

Lawmakers Introduce Birth Defect Prevention Act

New and Updated Fact Sheets

Do you have questions about exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding? The Organization of Teratology Information Specialists has created Fact Sheets to answer frequently asked questions on different exposures.

Our new and updated Fact Sheets include:

• Ibuprofen and Pregnancy
• HPV Vaccine
• Meningococcal Disease (Bacterial Meningitis) Vaccine
• Opioids (prescription)

Pregnant and taking leflunomide for Rhemuthoid Arthritis, is it safe?
 

Women who inadvertently become pregnant while being treated with leflunomide (Arava) for rheumatoid arthritis are not at increased risk of causing major defects in their unborn child, according to a recent study published in the online version of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

Read more...

PregTASTIC Online Radio
 

Dr. Christina Chambers, CTIS program director, was podcasted at PregTASTIC Online Radio, Episode 163 - H1N1 and Your Pregnancy: What You Should Know About the Virus and Vaccine (February 2, 2010)

California Teratogen Information Service Teams Up with the California Smoker's Helpline to Promote Healthy Pregnancies
 

Over the past year, the California Smokers' Helpline and the California Teratogen Information Service (CTIS) have worked together to promote healthy pregnancies in California. The Helpline provides information, referral, and telephone-based counseling to pregnant smokers who want to quit.