Fetal development and the flu, epilepsy, meth exposure ...

As researchers learn more about in utero exposure and the effects on the unborn, pregnant women could be excused for trying to shut themselves off from the rest of the world. Sometimes, that might not even seem like an overreaction. In this week's news alone:

From UPI: Prenatal Hong Kong flu linked to lower IQ

The story states: "The intelligence scores of men born in July through October of that year, 6-9 months after the main outbreak of the Hong Kong flu in Norway, were lower than the mean values for those born in the same months during the preceding and following years." Here's the abstract from the Annals of Neurology.

From WebMD, among others: Epilepsy drug linked to babies' lower IQ

The story states: "Women with epilepsy who took the drug valproate ( Depakote) during pregnancy gave birth to children whose IQ at age 3 averaged up to 9 points lower than the scores of children exposed to other epilepsy drugs, according to a new study." Here's the abstract from the New England Journal of Medicine.

And from Reuters: Prenatal meth exposure may harm baby's brain

The story states: "Brain scans on a group of 3- and 4-year-old children showed abnormal development in the white matter, which carries messages across the brain, compared with children who did not have prenatal exposure to the drug, often called 'meth.' " Here's the abstract, from Neurology.

For a broader look at the issue of in utero exposure, check out these stories from Times staff writer Shari Roan:

Living for two: Mounting evidence suggests that fetuses are surprisingly susceptible to outside influences such as food, environmental pollutants, even stress.

Poor nutrition in utero, heavy child tomorrow?

-- Tami Dennis

Photo: An infant is fitted for a ventilator mask.

Credit: Associated Press