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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome:. Is One Drink During Pregnancy Too Much? By Katelyn Johnson. What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?. Commonly referred to as FAS Damage done to a child before birth as a result of the mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy Always involves brain damage,
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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Is One Drink During Pregnancy Too Much? By Katelyn Johnson
What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome? • Commonly referred to as FAS • Damage done to a child before birth as a result of the mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy • Always involves brain damage, impaired growth, and/or head and face abnormalities. • Effects can include physical problems and problems with behavior and learning. • There is no cure or treatment for the disabilities of FAS.
MECHANISM • Alcohol in the mother's blood crosses the placenta freely and enters the embryo or fetus through the umbilical cord. The exact mechanism(s) by which alcohol damages the fetus and critical times of exposure are not known; however, exposure during the first trimester results in the structural defects (i.e., facial changes) characteristic of FAS, whereas the growth and CNS disturbances could occur from alcohol use during any time in pregnancy.
Abnormal facial features, such as a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip Small head size Shorter-than-average height Low body weight Poor coordination Hyperactive behavior Difficulty paying attention Poor memory Difficulty in school Learning disabilities Speech and language delays Intellectual disability of low IQ Poor reasoning and judgment skills Sleep problems as a baby Vision or hearing problems Problems with the heart, kidneys, or bones SYMPTOMS
HISTORICAL CLAIM • Center for Disease Control says there is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to drink while pregnant. There is also no safe time to drink during pregnancy and no safe kind of alcohol to drink while pregnant. • This has led to the historical claim that ONE DRINK or SEVERAL DRINKS throughout pregnancy causes FAS.
RESEARCH FOR CLAIM • There is no scientific support for the type of widespread hysteria that permeates public discussion on fetal alcohol syndrome. • On websites that promoted “Pregnant women should not drink during pregnancy at all,” there was no scientific research to back it up.
RESEARCH AGAINST CLAIM • A large study examined 400,000 women in the U.S., all of whom had consumed alcohol during pregnancy. Not a single case of fetal alcohol syndrome occurred and no adverse effects on children were found when consumption was under 7 drinks per week. • A review of research studies found that FAS only occurs among alcoholics. The evidence is clear that there is NO apparent risk to a child when the pregnant woman consumes no more than one drink per day
CONTINUED • A study of pregnancies in eight European countries found that consuming no more than one drink per day did not appear to have any effect on fetal growth. A follow-up of children at 18 months of age found that those from women who drank during pregnancy, even two drinks per day, scored higher in several areas of development.
CONCLUSION • The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists concluded that “there is no evidence that an occasional drink is harmful.” • Women should be careful about alcohol consumption in pregnancy. • It's hard to determine the amount and timing of alcohol consumption that puts the fetus at risk. • No safe limit on consumption has been proven
REFERENCES • http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/facts.html • http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa50.htm • http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/FetalAlcoholSyndrome.html
