Is it true that exposure to a Solar Eclipse during pregnancy can cause congenital deformities in the fetus?
It is a widely accepted and a popular myth, that watching of a solar eclipse by an expectant mother may lead to d evelopment of cleft lip in children, but fortunately, it does not have any scientific rationale. It is a fact, that parents often blame themselves for development of such birth defects in their children, which is totally wrong. In trying to find out the causes for such a calamity, they start believing in a number of unscientific theories like exposure to eclipse or God’s punishment etc. Often, under the belief that the God for some misdeed has punished them, they do not subject their children for surgical correction at proper age. Scientifically, it is extremely difficult to attribute any single factor responsible for any type of birth defect. Familial tendencies (hereditary), severe anemia during pregnancy, viral diseases like measles, typhoid etc. during early weeks of pregnancy, can be contributing factors. Drug addiction as well as excessive smoking of pregnant women ma
