There is no safe amount of alcohol at any time during pregnancy. Even a small amount of alcohol can have adverse effects on a growing fetus. Alcohol seems most damaging in the first trimester (three months) of pregnancy but can affect the fetus at any time during the pregnancy. It is a lifelong condition affecting people through adulthood.

• To prevent FASDs, a woman should avoid alcohol if she is pregnant or might be pregnant.
• Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the most severe form of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, a range of conditions caused by exposure to alcohol in the womb.
• However, the only way to prevent FAS is to avoid drinking beverages containing alcohol during pregnancy.
• There’s no cure or specific treatment for fetal alcohol syndrome.
• That said, any amount of alcohol may increase the risk of a baby developing an FASD.
• Counseling and treatment programs can also help women struggling with alcohol abuse.
• Diagnosing fetal alcohol syndrome involves an exam from a healthcare professional with expertise in the condition.

What are the symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)?

FASDs are preventable if a baby is not exposed to alcohol before birth. Many of the physical characteristics of FAS become less noticeable as the child ages. The symptoms of the neurological damage are usually the most serious.

• Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders describes the range of conditions in children caused when the mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy.
• Partial fetal alcohol syndrome (pFAS) may be diagnosed if a child has at least two of the typical facial features and a mix, but not all, of the required criteria for FAS.
• A common defect is a hole in the wall that separates the right and left lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart.
• The full picture of FAS usually occurs in babies born to alcoholic mothers, or those who drink more than four to five drinks/day.
• The diagnosis is not based on a single symptom, and mild cases may be difficult to diagnose.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Facial to Behavioral Effects

Dr. Katbamna is Professor of Audiology in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI. She has published over 30 original articles, 37 abstracts and several reviews. Don’t start an alcohol elimination program without telling your healthcare provider. They may be able to direct you to further options for achieving your goals and provide the medical care that may be necessary to withdraw from alcohol. 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, there is no treatment for lifelong birth defects and intellectual disability.
• While we realize this term may not match your gender experience, it’s the term used by the researchers whose data was cited.
• However, this requires that a mother stop using alcohol before becoming pregnant.
• FAS is characterized by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), craniofacial (head and face) differences, neurodevelopmental abnormalities (including behavioral issues), and growth impairment.
• This is because it takes time for your body to build up enough hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone that develops in early pregnancy) to be detected on a pregnancy test.

What’s the difference between fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs)?

There is no “safe” amount of alcohol you can drink during pregnancy. And there is no time during pregnancy when it’s considered safe to drink alcohol, either. A child is considered to have partial fetal alcohol syndrome when they have been exposed to alcohol in the womb and have some but not all of the traits linked to FAS. Fetal alcohol syndrome may be the most common cause of noninherited intellectual disability. Call your child’s doctor or other healthcare professional for an appointment if you have any concerns about your child’s growth and development.

Learning and thinking issues

The full picture of FAS usually occurs in babies born to alcoholic mothers, or those who drink more than four to five drinks/day. Even light or moderate drinking can affect the developing fetus. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a group of abnormalities in babies born to mothers who consume alcohol during pregnancy. It is the most common known non-genetic (non-inherited) cause of intellectual disability in the United States. It is estimated that as many as three babies in 1,000 will have FAS. However, the rate may be three times higher in some populations.

Infants with FAS often are irritable, overly sensitive to noise, behind in their development, have trouble eating and sleeping, have too little or too much muscle tone, and don’t like to be held. If a child exhibits these symptoms or the other problems mentioned above and the mother drank alcohol during her pregnancy, a trained medical professional can evaluate the child for FAS. Doctors typically rely on these symptoms and evaluations of intelligence and language development to help make a diagnosis.

What Is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

When consumed during pregnancy, alcohol crosses the placenta and enters the fetus’s bloodstream. A child with FAS will not necessarily have all of these symptoms. Additionally, many of these symptoms can occur due to other conditions. A healthcare professional specializing in FAS can help determine the cause.

A permanent condition, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) happens when a person consumes any amount of alcohol during a pregnancy. Alcohol use during pregnancy can interfere with the baby’s development, causing physical and mental defects. Fetal alcohol syndrome is the most severe condition within a group of conditions called fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). FAS is caused by the mother drinking alcohol during her pregnancy. The alcohol passes from the mother’s bloodstream through the placenta into the blood supply of the developing baby.

As children with FAS get older, they might develop behavioral problems, have problems learning and retaining information, or struggle with attention and hyperactivity, all of which may worsen as they mature. Fetal alcohol syndrome can also drunken baby syndrome cause milestone (developmental) delays. Abnormal palmar creases, cardiac defects, and joint contractures may also be evident.

Is there a cure for fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)?

Diagnosis of FASD should be considered based on the clinical presentation or suspicion of maternal alcohol exposure. In the absence of characteristic facial findings, the diagnosis of FASD still should be considered in children with growth problems, CNS abnormalities, and a history of prenatal alcohol exposure. Because early diagnosis may help lessen the risk of some challenges for children with fetal alcohol syndrome, let your child’s healthcare professional know if you drank alcohol while you were pregnant. Using alcohol during pregnancy is the leading cause of preventable birth defects, developmental disabilities and learning disabilities. However, the only way to prevent FAS is to avoid drinking beverages containing alcohol during pregnancy.