The present review deals with the maternal transfer of lead through the placenta during pregnancy and its deleterious effects on developing gastrointestinal tract. Exposure to lead is more dangerous for young and unborn children. It is well known that lead passes through the placenta of mother to fetus and accumulates in fetal tissues during gestation and it can be obtained through the milk during lactation .Lead may be released from maternal bone reserves during pregnancy and thus it becomes a major source of intoxication for the fetus. Prenatal exposure to low lead levels may increase the risk of reduced birth weight and premature birth. Lead is poorly absorbed from the GI tract; however, toxic effects can result from the relatively small amount of lead that is absorbed. There have been very few studies designed to evaluate consequences of lead toxicity during developmental stages, although this is the most sensitive period. The absorption of lead is influenced by many factors such as chemical form of the lead, diet, presence of food in GI tract, calcium status, vitamin D and iron. The mechanisms by which these interactions occur and induce histopathological changes in developing fetus are not fully understood. This reflects a lack of understanding of the mechanism by which lead is absorbed in the GI tract of mother and influence the developing fetus during gestation and lactation. Although threshold levels have been derived from the animal data, factors such as size, relative difference in consumption in proportion to size especially during infancy, and variable histopathological changes in GI tract are not well investigated during different developmental stages.