Over the past half-century, medical researchers have studied the effects of a pregnant woman’s alcohol consumption on the health and well-being of her unborn child. As a result of this research, a variety of developmental problems and birth defects have been identified. These problems are categorized under the umbrella term Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The disorders associated with FASD include mental retardation and physical disabilities as well as problems with learning and behavior.
A Critical Time for Prevention
The sole cause of FASD is alcohol use by a mother during pregnancy. Contrary to what many physicians told woman in the 1950s and 1960s, there is no safe level of alcohol consumption for pregnant women. Alcohol is able to cross the placenta, enter the fetal blood system and impact developing organs and tissues. This is true for all types of alcohol – wine, beer and hard liquor.
Difficulties in Diagnosis
About 10 babies per 1,000 are diagnosed with one or more of the disorders that fall under the FASD umbrella, outranking both autism and Downs Syndrome. It can be extremely difficult to diagnose fetal alcohol disorders. Test and examinations by a team of experts may be required, including pediatricians, neurologists, speech pathologists and psychologists. Because of the difficulties in diagnosis, many cases go undetected. The symptoms of FASD may be confused with those for OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), ODD (oppositional defiance disorder), ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) or SID (sensory integration disorder) as well as an “alphabet soup” of other disorders.
Some babies are born with physical characteristics and abnormalities because of FASD, including:
- Smaller head size
- Small eye openings
- Thin upper lip
- Smooth philtrum (the area between the nose and upper lip)
- Deformities of joints, fingers and limbs
- Height or body weight that are less than average
Not all children with these characteristics have FASD, but when behavior problems are combined with these characteristics and alcohol consumption occurred during pregnancy, an FASD expert should be consulted.
The Impact of FASD
Babies who begin life with FASD-related disorders often grow into adults with emotion and social problems. Substance abuse and mental illness may be an issue. Behavior problems that arise from poor impulse control are first seen in school and may lead to incarceration in adulthood. The U.S. FASD Center estimates that the cost of FASD is between 1 and 5 million dollars per child, not counting time spent in the prison system. There is no way to estimate the hidden costs to society in lost productivity and a reduced quality of life for individuals afflicted with FASD.
No Cures, Only Prevention
There are currently no cures for FASD, but it is completely preventable. Women who are pregnant or contemplating pregnancy should avoid all forms of alcohol. There is no safe time to drink during pregnancy and no safe type of alcohol for pregnant women. It’s estimated that half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned, so women should also be aware of times that they could be pregnant but aren’t sure. Women who are already pregnant and can’t stop drinking should seek immediate help from their obstetrician or health care provider.
