How to Use birth defect in a Sentence

birth defect

noun
  • He was born with two fingers on his left hand because of a birth defect.
    — Dan Labbe, cleveland, 20 Nov. 2019
  • High levels of retinol found in liver can cause birth defects.
    — Sheah Rarback, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Then there were drugs that caused birth defects in pregnant women.
    — David Armstrong, CNN Money, 10 May 2025
  • Quite a bit more troublesome is that isotretinoin is linked to birth defects.
    — Sarah Klein, Health.com, 28 Feb. 2018
  • That includes low birth weight, preterm birth and a host of other birth defects.
    — Carol Motsinger, Cincinnati.com, 6 Mar. 2018
  • One in 700 children are born with the birth defect each year.
    — Alex Orlando, Discover Magazine, 15 Nov. 2021
  • Zika, for which there is no vaccine, can cause birth defects, fever, rash and headaches.
    — Sean Rossman, USA TODAY, 2 May 2018
  • But other deaths, such as those caused by disease or birth defects, rose 8%.
    — Byerik Stokstad, science.org, 5 Sep. 2024
  • Tyler was born brain dead, and Paige had a critical heart birth defect.
    — Dana Hunsinger Benbow, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Oct. 2024
  • Part of the treatment is five years of tamoxifen, which can cause birth defects.
    — Julie Ma, The Cut, 26 Oct. 2017
  • Some links to birth defects were also found when taken during the third trimester.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2025
  • Born with a rare birth defect, his legs were amputated above the knee at age 2.
    — Janet Shamlian, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2019
  • Hatz is a professional athlete who shares that she was born with a rare birth defect.
    — Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 29 May 2026
  • In some cases, babies with a birth defect may only survive a few months.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 21 Oct. 2024
  • In some cases, babies with a birth defect may only survive a few months.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 13 Feb. 2025
  • His lab uses mice, too, in this case to study the mechanism that causes the birth defect.
    — Kirsi Goldynia, CNN, 31 Mar. 2020
  • Were the birth defects just never noticed before, or did the virus somehow change?
    — Maggie Fox, NBC News, 28 Sep. 2017
  • Two of her friends bolted, leaving her alone with a cousin who has trouble walking due to a birth defect.
    — David Rising and, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Dec. 2021
  • This makes preterm birth the second-leading cause of infant deaths, after birth defects.
    — Faye Taxman, The Conversation, 11 Dec. 2025
  • Griffin had his left hand amputated as a child as a result of a rare birth defect.
    — Shannon Green, OrlandoSentinel.com, 23 Feb. 2018
  • The drug may cause birth defects, so it should not be taken by anyone who is pregnant, Yang said.
    — Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 5 Dec. 2023
  • Research shows folic acid promotes new cell growth and can reduce birth defects by up to 70%.
    — Tori Apodaca, CBS News, 30 Dec. 2025
  • He was born with a rare birth defect called an omphalocele, which means some of his organs sit in a sac outside his body.
    — Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023
  • Having a birth defect that affects the structure of your urinary tract can also raise your risk.
    — Jessica Migala, Health.com, 22 Feb. 2022
  • Residents claim the waste has led to high rates of cancer, other diseases and birth defects.
    — Sara Aridi, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2018
  • The illness is the most common birth defect, and can make blood move too slowly or in the wrong direction.
    — Leslie Nemo, Discover Magazine, 3 Oct. 2019
  • The birth defect has no treatment and results in death either before birth or within the first few weeks of life.
    — Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2023
  • In 2017, Eric had a blood clot in his chest that was caused by a rare birth defect.
    — Marie Milano, Country Living, 9 Nov. 2019
  • Thalidomide caused birth defects, a looming risk that could result in it being pulled from the market.
    — David Armstrong, CNN Money, 10 May 2025
  • But that disparity can lead to major birth defects.
    — Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado january 12, Sacbee.com, 12 Jan. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'birth defect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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