You can be born without a leg as a result of a rare birth defect called phocomelia syndrome.
Phocomelia syndrome is a rare birth defect that leads to severe malformation of the extremities which can cause the baby's arms or arm or legs or leg to be missing.
In some cases the baby's leg may be shorter than the other or absent with phocomelia syndrome.
It's estimated that each year about 1,500 babies in the United States are born with upper limb reductions and about 750 are born with lower limb reductions.
In other words, every year around 4 out of every 10,000 babies will have upper limb reductions and about 2 out of every 10,000 babies will have lower limb reductions.
Phocomelia is a rare congenital anomaly where the proximal aspect of an extremity is absent with the hand or foot attached directly to the trunk.
This disorder was brought into prominence as a characteristic side effect of the drug thalidomide but can occur spontaneously.
A prominent cause of phocomelia is the mother's use of the drug thalidomide during pregnancy; however, the causes of most cases are to be determined.
While there is no cure for phocomelia, treatment options have advanced in the recent years.
Prosthetics can be used in place of absent limbs, and physical, occupational, and speech therapy are among the therapies used to promote the quality of life of the person.
Agenesis of the long bones of the arms or legs also may occur, called variously meromelia (absence of one or both hands or feet), phocomelia (normal hands and feet but absence of the long bones), and amelia (complete absence of one or more limbs).
The result of a baby being born without legs or arms or just legs or without just arms is the spectrum of complications indelibly linked to thalidomide: the deformed limbs and defective organs in children whose mothers took thalidomide during pregnancy as a treatment for morning sickness.
Support for these findings came from reports in medical literature.
Many babies born with thalidomide damage have grown up to have fulfilling lives with partners, able-bodied children and jobs they enjoy.
However, years of having to compensate for their disabilities and use of their bodies in ways that they weren't designed for have taken their toll.