11 List Of Weird Birth Defects

The one thing parents hope for when they find out they're expecting is for a healthy child. And, with the power of modern medicine and all the research that has gone into prenatal health, the vast majority of pregnancies do result in healthy births.

However, in some sad cases, the dream of becoming a parent can quickly slide into the realm of nightmares. The processes happening inside the womb are incredibly complex; it doesn't take much for something to go wrong. The forces of genetics are powered up, and nutrition, environment, and the mother's health can all have an impact on growth. And when the growth of a fetus goes wrong, the results can be nothing short of tragic.

WARNING: Some readers might find some of these images disturbing.

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1. Polydactyly

Put plainly, it's having extra fingers or toes. Usually, if it's small, the extra digit gets removed early, but sometimes it's a well-formed, useful extra and there's no need to remove it.

2. Ectrodactyly

With this malformation, the hands or feet are split. It's sometimes crudely referred to as "lobster claw" hands. 

3. Conjoined twins

When the embryo only splits in part, the resulting twins remain physically connected, and conjoined twins are born. Depending on where and by how much the twins are connected, they might be able to be separated after birth.

4. Hypertrichosis

This condition causes hair to grow all over the body, leading to many sufferers being referred to as "werewolves" or "wolf girl" or "wolf boy". 

5. Fused limbs

There have been few cases, but this rare disorder — officially calledsirenomelia, and less officially called mermaid syndrome — causes the legs to fuse together. Not only is mermaid syndrome rare, but the cases in which the babies are carried to term are even rarer. 

6. Progeria

You might have seen this before and know it as the "premature aging" disorder. Progeria doesn't show up at birth, but within the first couple of years children with this condition will age rapidly. Most have a life expectancy of about 13 years.

7. Vestigial tail

Humans born with tails are rare, and the tails are purely cosmetic and easily removed.

8. Fetus in fetu

In this rare condition, the embryo splits into twins, but one twin is inside the body of the other. 

9. Craniopagus parasiticus

This exceedingly — and fortunately — rare defect occurs in a case ofincomplete twins. In the case ofEgyptian Manar Maged, pictured below, the incomplete twin could blink and smile, but could not survive on its own.

10. Cyclopia

In extremely rare cases, a fetus's eyes will fail to develop separately. Fetuses with cyclopia do not survive. 

11. Anencephaly

A fetus with anencephaly doesn't develop the neural tube as it normally would, and so it's born without parts of the brain and skull. The CDC estimates three in every 10,000 pregnancies will have anencephaly. Almost all babies born with this condition will die soon after birth.

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Main image via epiehonorsbiology

Collage image via DeviantArt / lessthanhuman