Question: My wife got pregnant in June of 2006. We were living in a condo at that time, which had some water dripping issues from the condo above. The water would get into the ceiling of the two bedrooms 1 and 2, next to it. In addition there was another leak in the same bathroom on floor level. Attempts had been made to fix these issues but were never correctly done and then just ignored. Due to these problems we had moved into another home in early December of 2006. So for over 6 months, our condo was contantly wet from the bathroom leaks, the ceiling of the bathrooms and bedrooms. The bedroom that was most severly affected on the floor and ceiling was the room we slept in.

In late December, what we most feared happened. My wife was 27 weeks into her pregnacy and delivered a baby girl. As this is our first child this was the most horrifying experience that life has put us through. The baby is doing great now but get tired very quicky and at times lethargic. Other than that we’re very lucky to have her.

My questions are the following:
1. Could mold have developed withing those 6 months that we were there?
2. If yes, then how could it affect pregnacy?
3. Is there any connection to mold and wife early delivery?

If you could please respond I would very much be thankful to you. Thank you.

Answer: Thank you for your questions. It’s possible that mold had developed within the 6 months you were in the condo. However, I have not seen any publication where mold is said to cause early delivery in humans. Having said that, a number of mycotoxins have been shown to affect pregnancy in experimental animals but this has not been observed in humans.

I would suggest you discuss your concerns with your family doctor.