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[linnea]

My mom took Thalidomide when she was pregnant with my sister and she turned out fine.  I bet all those others were just faking it for sympathy.

I think that with Thalidomide there were 2 types... both marketed as the same drug. From what I remember reading, the molecules were like, "right hand" and "left hand". There were slight variations in the medicine and the women who took the right-hand type were fine, but the women with the left-hand type had children with horrible birth defects. I should just Google this instead of trying to recall stuff from dusty, cobweb-ridden corners of my brain.

[KeithHernandez]

My mom did not smoke drink or drink coffee when she was pregnant with me.  She never really did any of those things when I lived with her, either.  Since I left the house she has an occasional beer.

[V-Adore]

I think that with Thalidomide there were 2 types... both marketed as the same drug. From what I remember reading, the molecules were like, "right hand" and "left hand". There were slight variations in the medicine and the women who took the right-hand type were fine, but the women with the left-hand type had children with horrible birth defects. I should just Google this instead of trying to recall stuff from dusty, cobweb-ridden corners of my brain.

This is roughly accurate, if I remember my organic chemistry correctly. Thalidomide has two enantiomers (the "right-handed" and "left-handed" molecules), which were sold in an equal mixture of "right" and "left"; the right was effective, but the left was teratogenic. However, the wrinkle comes in in that (as a quick Wikipedia check reveals to me), these enantiomers can interconvert in vivo -- in other words, even if someone is administered only the safe, effective enantiomer, it may convert to the teratogenic one spontaneously and thus still present teratogenic problems. It's looking like this is another one of those drugs pregnant women should just avoid...

On this subject, I believe I've mentioned that I worked extensively with finasteride (the active ingredient in Propecia, which you may recall being marketed with those giant "Pregnant Women Should Not Come Within Fifty Feet Of This Medication, We're Serious" warnings) during my undergraduate work, and I'm fine. Of course, I probably won't be pregnant for some time...

[Doc]

My understanding of thalidomide is not just that it can interconvert in vivo but that the manufacturing process wasn't selective for the correct enantiomer. This is just something I vaguely remember in a lecture from a few years ago though so don't tkae my word on it. Also I think they're remarketing it as something for cancer patients now, to help them cope with sickness related to chemo etc.


Also my mother quit smoking before she became pregnant with me and I was a month premature.

[jaydub]

My mom smoked with me and one of my brothers.  She had quit by the time my youngest brother was born.  The first two ended up 5'7, the youngest is 6'2.  Not saying its cause and effect, but I found the coincidence interesting.

[V-Adore]

My understanding of thalidomide is not just that it can interconvert in vivo but that the manufacturing process wasn't selective for the correct enantiomer. This is just something I vaguely remember in a lecture from a few years ago though so don't tkae my word on it. Also I think they're remarketing it as something for cancer patients now, to help them cope with sickness related to chemo etc.

Yeah, this is also true. The manufacturing process initially was non-selective and thus produced a racemic mixture, which is Teratogen City. The interconverting is more a potential issue with future uses of the drug than an explanation of what happened during the initial thalidomide incident.

[linnea]

This is roughly accurate, if I remember my organic chemistry correctly. Thalidomide has two enantiomers (the "right-handed" and "left-handed" molecules), which were sold in an equal mixture of "right" and "left"; the right was effective, but the left was teratogenic. However, the wrinkle comes in in that (as a quick Wikipedia check reveals to me), these enantiomers can interconvert in vivo -- in other words, even if someone is administered only the safe, effective enantiomer, it may convert to the teratogenic one spontaneously and thus still present teratogenic problems. It's looking like this is another one of those drugs pregnant women should just avoid...

On this subject, I believe I've mentioned that I worked extensively with finasteride (the active ingredient in Propecia, which you may recall being marketed with those giant "Pregnant Women Should Not Come Within Fifty Feet Of This Medication, We're Serious" warnings) during my undergraduate work, and I'm fine. Of course, I probably won't be pregnant for some time...

Yeah, this is also true. The manufacturing process initially was non-selective and thus produced a racemic mixture, which is Teratogen City. The interconverting is more a potential issue with future uses of the drug than an explanation of what happened during the initial thalidomide incident.

Education. V, you rock so hard. Tiny can.

[V-Adore]

I'm pleased to help, as always. And pleased to type "teratogen," which is such a nice word for such a terrible thing.

[linnea]

My mom smoked with me and one of my brothers.  She had quit by the time my youngest brother was born.  The first two ended up 5'7, the youngest is 6'2.  Not saying its cause and effect, but I found the coincidence interesting.

I have often wondered that myself. The women on my dad's side of the family are all 5'9" and taller. I'm 5'5". My cousin Johanna is six feet tall! It would be awesome to be that tall.

[V-Adore]

Hell, it would be awesome to be 5'5".

Me, a tiny gnome? You must surely be kidding.

[theinevitable]

ladies who are tall have hell of issues. it is a sad thing.

my gorgeous friend rachel is my height, or maybe slightly shorter... she is always all awkward about being so "huge."

[Nabubrush]

ladies who are tall have hell of issues. it is a sad thing.

my gorgeous friend rachel is my height, or maybe slightly shorter... she is always all awkward about being so "huge."

You know, after however many years in the business, I've come to the conclusion that everyone has hell of issues.

[linnea]

Hell, it would be awesome to be 5'5".

Me, a tiny gnome? You must surely be kidding.

My friend Ann is 4'11". She mentioned that when she was a kid, she hated her Flintstones vitamins so she would hide them under her dresser. When her mom decided to rearrange some stuff, she found this HUGE STASH of vitamins under there! Just like when I move the fridge or stove to clean beneath it, and I find a huge stash of kittytoys. Heh! I thought the story was cute. Is that why she's so tiny? V, did you spurn the vitamins when you were young? I'm gently teasing, so I hope that nobody takes offense.

You know, after however many years in the business, I've come to the conclusion that everyone has hell of issues.

It's true. My cousin Johanna, who is six feet tall, spent most of her adolescence hunched over and ashamed of her height. Just like the ladies that theinev knows.

[V-Adore]

My friend Ann is 4'11". She mentioned that when she was a kid, she hated her Flintstones vitamins so she would hide them under her dresser. When her mom decided to rearrange some stuff, she found this HUGE STASH of vitamins under there! Just like when I move the fridge or stove to clean beneath it, and I find a huge stash of kittytoys. Heh! I thought the story was cute. Is that why she's so tiny? V, did you spurn the vitamins when you were young? I'm gently teasing, so I hope that nobody takes offense.

Nah, in my case, it's just simple genetics; I'm actually just about the same height as my mother, or perhaps a hair taller. I'm 5'3", which I realize is not catastrophically short, but it's always felt that way to me for some reason. My best bet for why is that, while I'm my mother's height, I inherited my father's heavy, stocky build: wide shoulders, short wide hands and feet, plus a sufficiently large head that I'm only about six heads tall. It results in my feeling like, given a chainmail hauberk and an axe, I could start posing for Dungeons & Dragons dwarf illustrations.

[Doc]

I could start posing for Dungeons & Dragons dwarf illustrations.

Totally hot