As they are performed today, in vitro studies will not by themselves provide sufficient evidence of no adverse effect.

Studies in two species are often available in which pregnant females were exposed during pregnancy and killed just before parturition. This permits full evaluation of adverse effects on mother and fetus. Such prenatal developmental toxicity studies designed to determine a substance's potential to cause structural abnormalities, growth deficits, or death are available in two species for many agents, drugs and pesticides, in particular. When such studies demonstrate no adverse effects, one might conclude that the data are sufficient to indicate that there is little or no risk that the agent might cause developmental toxicity manifested at birth. However, it is important to recognize the limitations of these studies and that if dosing stops at the end of major organogenesis (gestation day 15 in rats and mice, day 19-20 in rabbits), later fetal exposures might result in further growth retardation and in other developmental defects (e.g., those occurring in late-developing reproductive organs such as hypospadias). In addition, there is no information from such studies on the postnatal effects of prenatal exposures, including possible neurobehavioral deficits or other impaired organ system function.