Teratology Society Position Paper: Recommendations for Vitamin A Use During Pregnancy

The membership of the Teratology Society has made important contributions to the field of birth defects research through both individual and Society contributions. It has been unusual for the Teratology Society to establish a position or to make public statements. The last public statement by the Teratology Society was regarding the Delaney Clause and the dificulty of drawing inferences concerning human exposures based upon animal exposures (Teratology Society, '74). With the increasing requirements for au. thorative information in the field of birth defects research and public awareness, it was recognized that the Teratology Society had the responsibility, through i t s members, to provide counsel to the public and governmental agencies. Of major concern to many members of the Teratology Society, as reflected in a recent editorial in the journal Teratohgy (Shepard et al., '86) is the use of excessive amounts of vitamin A supplements. To address this important issue of megadose vitamin A use by women in their reproductive years, the membership of the Teratology Society through the Council of the Society has commissioned the Public Affairs Committee of the Teratology Society to develop a position paper on the use of vitamin A during pregnancy. In July of 1986. the Public Affairs Committee appointed a Drafting Committee of experts in the field of vitamin A and teratology work with the chairperson of the Public Affairs Committee. David Kochhar, Ph.D., from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia; Edward Lammer, M.D.. from Harvard University in Boston; and Thomas Shepard, M.D., from the University of Washington, Seattle, were the individuals who drafted the initial document. More than 60 reviewersteratologists. nutritionists. basic and clinical scientists, government scientists and regulators a t the state and national level, epidemiologists, industrial scientists, obstetricians, and pediatricans provided essential discussion and suggestions for the document. The Public AiTairs Committee was most appreciative of the scientists who provided this essential information, especially those who are not members of the Teratology Society. Such general support for the formulation of this document has encouraged the Public Affairs Committee to provide this document to all interested parents, scientists, manufacturers, and government regulators.