Up to 80 percent of such women develop toxemia, a disturbance of metabolism that can potentially lead to convulsions and coma.
When the mother has high blood pressure (hypertension) or blood poisoning (toxemia), the flow of oxygen to the fetus may be reduced, causing brain damage and mental retardation.
Satterlee and Eldridge, who presented 518 cases to an AMA conference that had mental symptoms cured by removing intestinal toxemia.
Over time, the body's natural detoxification system can become overwhelmed and unable to filter out these toxins, resulting in a condition known as toxemia.
Some prenatal factors known to contribute to growth retardation include a variety of maternal health problems, including toxemia, kidney and heart disease, infections such as rubella and maternal malnutrition.