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Trinucleotide Repeats: Fragile X Syndrome What are trinucleotide repeats? DNA is the chemical that makes up your genes. It contains a "code" of 3-letter words known as codons or trinucleotides. Many genes normally contain trinucleotide sequences that repeat. These are called

Understanding Your Child's Lymphatic System What is the lymphatic system? The lymphatic system is a part of the body’s immune system. It works to fight disease and infection. The lymphatic system goes through many changes during a child's growth. Before birth, a baby is protected

Nightmares and Night Terrors What are night terrors? A night terror is a partial waking from sleep with behaviors such as screaming, kicking, panic, sleep walking, thrashing, or mumbling. They are harmless, and each episode will end in deep sleep. They tend to occur in children

The Menstrual Cycle: An Overview What is ovulation? When a young woman reaches puberty, she starts to ovulate. This is when a mature egg or ovum is released from one of the ovaries. The ovaries are the two female reproductive organs found in the pelvis. If the egg is fertilized

Skin Pigment Disorders What are skin pigment disorders? Skin color is determined by a pigment (melanin) made by specialized cells in the skin (melanocytes). The amount and type of melanin determines a person's skin color. What is the function of melanin? Melanin's role is to

The Risks of Drug Use in Pregnancy Drugs like cocaine and marijuana can cause a lot of harm to a baby in the womb. Many people of childbearing age in the U.S. use some form of drugs. Risks to the pregnant person A person taking drugs during pregnancy raises their risk for: Anemia

Low-Vision Devices What is low vision? Low vision is a condition that means your vision can't be helped with traditional eyeglasses, contact lenses, intraocular lens implants, or corrective surgery. But in some cases, people with low vision may get help with special visual

Soy Allergy Diet for Children General guidelines for soy allergy Your child has been diagnosed with a soy allergy. This means that your child's immune system overreacts to soy proteins. The allergy may go away when your child is older. But as long as your child has the allergy

Uniparental Disomy: Prader-Willi Syndrome and Angelman Syndrome What is uniparental disomy? Chromosome pairs affect how our body works. Normally, a baby gets 1 copy of each chromosome pair from each parent. This means 1 copy from the genetic mother, and the other copy from the

Breast Self-Awareness Your breasts change as you go through different stages of your life. It's important to learn what is normal for your breasts. This is called breast self-awareness. The key to breast self-awareness is knowing how your breasts normally look and feel. This