Texas Cloacal Exstrophy Lawsuit

Cloacal Exstrophy is a serious birth defect that may be caused by women taking the medication Clomid before pregnancy, or SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy. Babies born with this condition often have internal organs protruding outside the body and serious malformation of the genitals. At birth, infants require intensive emergency treatment, and often must undergo a series of surgeries over the course of several years. These surgeries may include reconstruction of the sexual organs or gender reassignment.

Do I Have a Cloacal Exstrophy Lawsuit? Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged. If you or a loved one has given birth to a child with a birth defect after taking Clomid, an SSRI, antidepressant, or other medication during pregnancy, you should contact our lawyers immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a Cloacal Exstrophy lawsuit.

Cloacal Exstrophy Overview

A child born with cloacal exstrophy is born with many abdominal organs outside the body. These protrusions often include a large portion of the intestines and the bladder. The anus may not be open. The reproductive organs may also be affected. In boys, the penis is usually flat and short, and may be split into a right and left side. In girls, the clitoris is split into two halves, and there may be two vaginal openings. The intestines are often shorter than normal and malformed.

The incidence of cloacal exstrophy is relatively uncommon, occurring in about one baby for every 250,000 live births. It has a high association with other birth defects, including spina bifida, which occurs in about 75% of cases.

Medications linked to Cloacal Exstrophy

Clomid: Recently, a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found a link between Clomid and several types of birth defects, including cloacal exstrophy. The study followed women who took Clomid in the two months before conception and pregnancy. The findings were published in the journal Human Reproduction.

SSRIs / Antidepressant Drugs: There is growing evidence linking antidepressant medications taken during pregnancy and an increased risk of having a baby with severe, life-threatening birth defects, including cloacal exstrophy.

• Paxil, Seroxat (paroxetine)
• Zoloft, Lustral (sertraline)
• Celexa (citalopram)
• Lexapro, Cipralex (escitalopram)
• Symbyax (fluxetine and olanzapine)
• Wellbutrin, Zyban (bupropion)
• Effexor (vanlafaxine)

Treatment & Prognosis

Cloacal exstrophy requires surgical repair. Because the extent of the condition varies considerably among individuals, the nature of the repair will depend on many individual factors. Abdominal protrusions are usually diagnosed before the baby is born with a routine ultrasound. The child will need to be delivered via Caesarian-section to reduce the chance of damaging the internal organs.

The surgical repair will typically be performed in stages over the course of several years. The first repair will be to the protruding abdominal organs. The surgeon will probably try to place the organs inside the abdominal cavity and close the abdominal wall. The surgeon will also place a colostomy, which is a bag that collects stool, and separate the intestines from the bladder. The second stage of surgical repair typically involves repairing the bladder.

Although cloacal exstrophy is a serious condition, the long-term outcome for many children is good. The survival rates now approach 100%. Advances in modern surgical techniques have greatly improved the prognosis. The greatest challenge lies in achieving urinary and fecal continence.

In the past 25 years, the trend was to reassign the gender identity of males by removing the testicles, constructing a labia, and raising the boy as a female. A study was conducted of 14 children who were reassigned as female. When the surgeons followed up with the children between the ages of 5-12 years, eight identified themselves as boys. All of the children had moderate to marked male-typical attitudes and interests. The researchers noted that none of the children with cloacal exstrophy who were genetically female had any gender uncertainty. The conclusion was that cloacal exstrophy was not an intersex condition, and was not an anomaly of the sex chromosomes, sex-determining genes, or sex hormones. It is a serious malformation of the genitals. The conclusions of the research were that surgeries should be done without sex reassignment. In recent times, the trend has been for surgeons to repair any defects so that the child can pass stool and urinate, and allow the patient to make his or her own decision about whether to have penile reconstructive surgery or reassign as the opposite sex.

Do I Have a Cloacal Exstrophy Lawsuit?

Collen A. Clark is a true advocate for his clients and is passionate about helping Texans that have been injured or wronged.

Collen’s amazing success in the courtroom and well known dedication to his clients has earned him the recognition of his peers as one of The Top Trial Lawyers in Texas.”

The Clark Firm has assembled a team of trial lawyers with more than 100 years experience, participation in over 600 jury trials and $60 million in verdicts and/or settlements. Please use the form below to contact us for a free Cloacal Exstrophy lawsuit review.