Thalidomide was given to pregnant women from 1957-1961 to help relieve the symptoms of morning sickness.Thalidomide binds to and inactivates the protein cereblon,which is important in limb formation.If a woman took thalidomide during the _____ period of her baby's development,it could result in stunted growth of its limbs.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Thalidomide affects limb formation during embryonic development, which occurs from week 3 to week 8 of pregnancy. Therefore, the correct period is the embryonic period (choice D). The other choices are incorrect: preembryonic (choice A) refers to the first week of development before implantation, prezygotic (choice C) refers to the period before fertilization, fetal (choice B) refers to the later stage of development after the embryonic period, and delivery (choice E) is obviously not a stage of development.

Thalidomide Was Given to Pregnant Women from 1957-1961 to Help