When we think of sleep apnea, we often think of the dangerous effects it has on us and our overall health. Sometimes, we think about how having sleep apnea affects our partner, as many of us with sleep apnea snore, potentially keeping sleep partners awake at night. But a new study is examining the effects of sleep apnea on unborn babies causing autism risk, and what it found could require a closer look.Called Gestational Sleep Apnea, some pregnant women develop sleep apnea during pregnancy. Gestational sleep apnea may or may not go away post-pregnancy. But not only did this new study focus on the mother and her sleep apnea, but it also focused on the effects the sleep apnea had on the unborn baby.Using pregnant rats, researchers exposed the animals to intermittent low oxygen levels during sleep for the second half of their pregnancy. As predicted, the mothers experienced hypoxia (oxygen deprivation) but the unborn babies didn’t.Still, once the babies were born researchers noted that the babies exhibited behavioral challenges, such as altered distress vocalization patterns. Memory and social function were also considered abnormal in these offspring. So, while it’s clear that hypoxia had some negative effects on the development of the baby rats, what does this mean for human babies?While it is not known exactly (more research is needed) if sleep apnea during pregnancy can cause autism risk in children, researchers are calling for more sleep apnea screening of pregnant women, something which at present is not widely done, as many women do not suffer from the ailment for their entire pregnancy and may not even realize there is a problem.For now, if you are pregnant and you or your sleep partner notice any of the following symptoms of sleep apnea, speak to your doctor as soon as possible and get screened for sleep apnea:-Snoring-Gasping for air during sleep-Daytime sluggishness or lethargy-Cognitive impairmentIf you do have sleep apnea, speak to Dr. Peterson about an orthotic sleep device that can help solve your sleep apnea dilemma and offer you the solution you’re looking for - comfortable sleep apnea correction without the use of cumbersome CPAP therapy. To schedule a consultation, please contact the office today.