The clefts lip and/or palate is a deformity which occurs within in the womb between the seventh and eleventh weeks of pregnancy. It is physically due to the lack of pre-natal fusion of the sides of the mouth. While a cleft lip and/or palate could be considered easy to fix, it is also frustrating. Parents would ask, "Why did this happen to my child?" In many cases, the answer is unknown. Scientists have agreed that heredity and fetal envrironment both play a role, but even that role is unclear. In any case, the environmental risk factors are quite general, such as smoking or drinking while pregnant. It should be known that over 200 syndromes have cleft lip and/or palate as a feature, indicating that in some cases, the cleft is "caused" by this other syndrome.