Infants and children with FAS have many different problems, which can be difficult to manage. Children do best if they are diagnosed early and referred to a team of providers who can work on educational and behavioral strategies that fit the child’s needs. Binge drinking is more harmful than drinking small amounts of alcohol.
- If you adopted a child or are providing foster care, you may not know if the biological mother drank alcohol while pregnant.
- Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a collection of growth, mental, and physical problems that may occur in a baby when a mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy.
- As the woman may not become aware that she has conceived until several weeks into the pregnancy, it is also recommended to abstain while attempting to become pregnant.
- Drinking alcohol late in a pregnancy increases the likelihood of FAS.
- 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.
- Specialists could be a developmental pediatrician, child psychologist, or clinical geneticist.
- Early identification can maximize help in the treatment of FASD and in building supportive networks with other individuals and families impacted by FASD.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Symptoms
- However, early treatment of some symptoms can lessen the severity and improve your child’s development.
- Make an appointment with your child’s pediatrician to discuss why you think your child may have an FASD.
- They also try to find out whether the mother drank while they were pregnant and if so, how much.
They estimate that around 1 baby in every 1,000 born in the United States may be affected. Other groups, like the National Institutes of Health, have higher estimates — 1 to 5 children per every 100. Experts explain that diagnosis may involve a team of doctors and other professionals and may include a neuropsychological exam.
Understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
FASDs can cause behavioral, mental, and physical symptoms in children, which can continue into adulthood. There is no cure for FASDs, but treatments can help manage symptoms. The signs and symptoms of a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) will differ from one child to another and depend on which type of FASD a child has. The conditions involve certain physical characteristics, issues with learning and behavior, or a mix of both physical and developmental problems.
Risks of Drinking While Pregnant
Challenges like this emerge for several reasons, she explains. Part of it is a result of not always being supported effectively by the adults in their lives, including caretakers, medical providers, and school communities. These challenges are also due to issues like instability in their family (or foster care systems) that often fetal alcohol syndrome occurs when being raised in the context of substance use disorders. FASDs are caused by alcohol use at any time during pregnancy, even before a woman knows they’re pregnant. Any alcohol — wine, beer, spirits, etc. — that gets into a mother’s blood can pass directly to the baby through the placenta and affect a baby’s development.
You can avoid fetal alcohol syndrome by not drinking alcohol during pregnancy. If you’re a woman with a drinking problem who wants to get pregnant, seek help from a doctor. If you’re a light or social drinker, don’t drink if you think you might become pregnant anytime soon. Remember, the effects of alcohol can make a mark during the first few weeks of a pregnancy. Visit these blogs for more tips and information about fetal alcohol syndrome. FASD is caused by prenatal alcohol exposure, which is the leading preventable cause of congenital conditions in the United States.
Secondary conditions
Alcohol use during pregnancy causes life-long issues that can be very serious. If you’ve consumed alcohol during pregnancy, talk to your healthcare provider. It’s important to make an early diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome. If you’re currently pregnant and drinking alcohol, stop immediately to try to lower the risk of FAS.
Alcohol also constricts blood vessels and restricts blood flow to the placenta, resulting in reduced oxygen to the fetus, she explains. “Further, toxic byproducts formed from the process of breaking down alcohol can build up in the fetus’s brain and cause damage,” she adds. FASD can affect children in profound ways—physically, mentally, and emotionally.
- There is significant variability in symptom range and severity in each domain in individuals with an FASD.
- ND-PAE and ARND are overlapping and similar but with a major difference.
- Treatment to help a mother with alcohol addiction is also recommended.
- The risk of FASDs increases with the amount of alcohol consumed.
Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder
An individual with FAS may have noticeable changes to their face and limbs, as well as delays in the way their body develops over time. There can also be mental and emotional challenges throughout the person’s life that can impact their social life, education and work. “Even a small amount of alcohol at a critical time during pregnancy can cause problems for children, such as lower IQ, attention deficits, impulsivity, and birth defects,” he says. While FASDs can be caused by heavy drinking, any exposure to alcohol at any time during pregnancy may cause issues with a baby’s growth and development and lead to these conditions. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are a group of conditions that may occur when a baby is exposed to alcohol during pregnancy.
