What Is FASD? About Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

FASDs can only happen if someone consumes alcohol while they are pregnant. A person who has an FASD does not have greater risk of having a child with an FASD unless they consume alcohol during their pregnancy. Children with FASD tend to be friendly and cheerful and enjoy social interaction. But caring for a child with this syndrome can be a challenge.

Medical Professionals

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. If you have concerns about your child’s learning or behavior, talk with your child’s healthcare professional to find out what might be causing these problems. Our studies also support more immediate impacts of alcohol consumption on male fertility and the ability of couples to achieve a healthy pregnancy.

• If you find it too hard to stop, try to drink less often, or have fewer drinks at a time.
• Stopping drinking as early in pregnancy as possible is the best way to prevent the condition.
• If you are pregnant and can’t stop drinking alcohol, ask your obstetrician, primary care doctor or other healthcare professional for help.
• A study demonstrated that more than one-half of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders do not consume the recommended dietary allowance of fiber, calcium, or vitamins D, E, and K.

Does fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) last into adulthood?

Because alcohol can affect fetal development at any stage of pregnancy, health authorities state that no amount of alcohol consumption is safe during pregnancy. There is also no safer type of alcoholic drink that is less likely to cause harm than others. If you are pregnant and you have been drinking alcohol, be honest with your doctor.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Parent FAQs

• Because different aspects of the child are developing at all stages of pregnancy, alcohol’s effects on a developing baby can result from alcohol use at any point during pregnancy.
• There is no single test for fetal alcohol syndrome (a lifelong condition), but early detection and treatment can greatly improve the lives of children with FAS.
• But drinking alcohol any time during pregnancy can be harmful.
• Although differences in how much and when pregnant women drink can contribute to the variation in how fetal alcohol syndrome develops, these factors alone cannot explain the wide range and severity of symptoms.
• The greater the amount of alcohol consumed, the more severe the symptoms tend to be.
• Therefore, our studies demonstrate that chronic male alcohol exposure – defined as consuming more than five drinks per day in a four-hour window – could drive all three of the core fetal alcohol syndrome birth defects.
• And there is no time during pregnancy when it’s considered safe to drink alcohol, either.

The rates of alcohol use, FAS, and FASD are likely to be underestimated, because of the difficulty in making the diagnosis and the reluctance of clinicians to label children and mothers. Some have argued that the FAS label stigmatizes alcohol use, while authorities point out that the risk is real. There is no safe time during pregnancy for https://ecosoberhouse.com/ a mother to drink alcohol, as it can cause developmental problems throughout pregnancy. Drinking alcohol is dangerous even before a woman knows she is pregnant. However, it is never too late in the pregnancy to stop drinking; the sooner a mother stops drinking during pregnancy, the less likely that symptoms will manifest or be severe.

Only individuals exposed to alcohol before birth may develop FASD. Given that approximately half of all pregnancies in the United States are not planned, the U.S. Surgeon General recommends drunken fetal syndrome that people who are pregnant, might be pregnant, or are planning a pregnancy not drink alcohol at all. The symptoms of this condition will be with the person throughout their entire life.

Primary care physicians are in an excellent position to initiate change in their patient’s drinking behavior. Clinical trials demonstrate that brief interventions can promote significant, lasting reductions in drinking levels in at-risk drinkers who are not alcohol dependent. Studies have shown that once advised by their physician, brief intervention and education for at-risk alcohol use is equally effective when delivered by a nurse or other mid-level professional specialist. In a report outlining patient intervention for alcohol use within five managed care organizations, 60% of those patients receiving the intervention reduced their alcohol consumption by one or more drinks per week. The safest approach to ensure a healthy pregnancy is to stop using alcohol before getting pregnant.

About Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs)

NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT

• Parents might learn different routines and rules that can help their child adapt to different situations.
• Discuss all your questions and concerns with your child’s medical home provider and other specialists caring for your child.
• The baby’s liver is not developed enough to be able to process the alcohol.
• Fetal alcohol syndrome is on the severe end of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).