ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Pregnancy is an elaborate physiological process, which involves many events such as fertilization, implantation, placentation, and development of the embryo and fetus. Each of these events must proceed normally for pregnancy and positive birth outcomes. Unfortunately, environmental chemicals often disrupt the processes required for pregnancy and lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief overview of each of these events during pregnancy and to describe how toxicants alter the events, leading to adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes.
