Alcohol easily passes through the placenta, the organ that nourishes a baby during pregnancy. Even a little bit of alcohol can harm a developing fetus and increase the risk of miscarriage. If you think there celebrities with fetal alcohol syndrome could be a problem, ask your healthcare provider for a referral to a specialist (someone who knows about FASDs). Specialists could be a developmental pediatrician, child psychologist, or clinical geneticist.
- Alcohol seems most damaging in the first trimester (three months) of pregnancy but can affect the fetus at any time during the pregnancy.
- By Serenity Mirabito RN, OCNMirabito is a certified oncology nurse.
- A mental health nurse should offer to counsel to patients who have alcohol use disorder and are of childbearing age.
- Not only can this prevent fetal alcohol syndrome disorders in future children, but it can also provide parenting skills to help their child with fetal alcohol syndrome.
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No two cases are exactly the same, so specialists will tailor the treatment plan to each person’s needs. It is important to note that many of these symptoms can occur for a range of reasons, so a person should consult a doctor if a child has any of them. This article explores the various aspects of FASDs, including the types, symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment, and support. There is no safe amount or type of alcohol that is guaranteed to prevent FASDs, which is why it is important that people who are trying to conceive or who are pregnant stop drinking as soon as they can. 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.
- The symptoms of this condition will be with the person throughout their entire life.
- Unfortunately, up to 5% of first graders in the United States have FASD.
- During the first three months of pregnancy, important stages of development happen with the face and organs such as the heart, bones, brain and nerves.
Diagnosis of FASDs
The only way to prevent FAS is to avoid consuming any amount of alcohol during pregnancy, including when a person is trying to become pregnant. Fetal alcohol syndrome is the result of prenatal alcohol exposure. If you’re the parent of a teenager with fetal alcohol syndrome, you likely have a lot of questions.
Medical Professionals
If one child in a family is diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome, it may be important to evaluate siblings for fetal alcohol syndrome if the mother drank alcohol during these pregnancies. There isn’t a direct test for FAS and pregnant people may not give a complete history of all alcohol intake during pregnancy. The more you drink while pregnant, the greater the risk to your unborn baby. Your baby’s brain, heart and blood vessels begin to develop in the early weeks of pregnancy, before you may know you’re pregnant.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Treatment
However, it’s important to note that there is no treatment for life-long birth defects and retardation. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the most severe fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. These are a group of conditions present at birth that can happen when a pregnant person drinks alcohol. 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. One person might have only a few, while another person could experience all of them.
Secondary conditions
Early intervention (EI) services are the most effective step in improving outcomes for children born with fetal alcohol syndrome. These state-run services vary by state but include evaluation and services based on your child’s developmental needs. About 1 in every 1,000 babies born in the United States is diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome. Symptoms can vary in severity but include central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) damage, abnormal facial features, and growth impairment. Children with FAS also experience learning and behavioral challenges.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders describes the range of conditions in children caused when the mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy. Symptoms vary greatly among children and can include all or a mix of physical, behavioral, and learning and thinking problems. Many features seen with fetal alcohol syndrome also may occur in children with other conditions. If fetal alcohol syndrome is suspected, your pediatrician or other healthcare professional will likely refer your child to an expert with special training in fetal alcohol syndrome.
