Alcohol was not viewed as dangerous for pregnant people until 1973 when the diagnosis of FAS was first implemented. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not make a public awareness announcement about the side effects of alcohol use during pregnancy until 1977. However, most studies have not researched FAS symptoms in people over the age of 30.
Support for quitting drinking
These fetal alcohol spectrum disorders classify the wide-ranging physical and neurological effects that prenatal alcohol exposure can inflict on a fetus. This activity describes the pathophysiology, evaluation, and management of fetal alcohol syndrome and highlights the role of the interprofessional team celebrities with fetal alcohol syndrome in preventing this pathology. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a permanent condition that causes brain damage and developmental delays in a fetus due to prenatal (before birth) alcohol exposure (PAE). FAS is the most severe fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), a group of conditions caused by PAE.
How are fetal alcohol spectrum disorders diagnosed?
One reason alcohol is dangerous during pregnancy is that it’s passed through your bloodstream to the fetus through the umbilical cord. The baby doesn’t metabolize (break down) alcohol in the same way an adult does – it stays in the body for a longer period of time. This condition can be prevented if you don’t drink any alcohol during pregnancy. It’s possible that even small amounts of alcohol consumed during pregnancy can damage your developing fetus. If you adopted a child or are providing foster care, you may not know if the biological mother drank alcohol while pregnant. International adoption from some countries may have a higher rate of alcohol use by pregnant mothers.
Alcohol Use Disorder Resources
Clinicians should be fully aware that fetal alcohol syndrome is preventable. In many cases, prenatal alcohol exposure is unintentional because women continue their normal drinking patterns before they know they are pregnant. Most women stop drinking alcohol once made aware of their pregnancy. Despite this fact, 7.6% of women report continued drinking during pregnancy.
- This is because a woman could get pregnant and not know for up to 4 to 6 weeks.
- FAS is characterized by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), craniofacial (head and face) differences, neurodevelopmental abnormalities (including behavioral issues), and growth impairment.
- Generally, the more alcohol a person consumes during pregnancy, the higher the chance of FAS.
Growth Impairment and Physical Symptoms
Especially striking was the finding that prenatal tobacco exposure alone had an effect on brain volume that fell just short of statistical significance. “About 20 percent of women who smoke continue to do so during pregnancy,” Rivkin notes. Many drugs can pass from a mother’s blood stream through the placenta to the fetus. Alcohol is broken down more slowly in the immature body of the fetus than in an adult’s body. This can cause the alcohol levels to remain high and stay in your baby’s body longer. Most often, FASDs are diagnosed based on the mother’s history and the appearance of the baby, based on a physical examination by a doctor.
- Fetal alcohol syndrome includes a characteristic group of physical defects, including small head and brain and facial abnormalities, as well as defects in other organs.
- During those early weeks of pregnancy, the fetus is going through a massive surge of development.
- Fetal alcohol syndrome is one of the five disorders that comprise fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).
- If the staff members are not familiar with the evaluation process, the next step is to ask to speak with the district’s special education director.
You may also find it helpful to contact a support group for people with FASD. These can be a good source of advice and they may be able to connect you with other people in a similar situation. It’s also important to get help for a parent or caregiver who struggles with alcohol addiction. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is a 30-bed referral center for critically ill infants requiring complex medical and surgical care. To prevent FASDs, a woman should avoid alcohol if she is pregnant or might be pregnant.
