Smoking And Drinking During Pregnancy

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a disorder of permanent birth defects that occur in the offspring of pregnant mothers who drink during pregnancy. A relatively new condition which was only recently discovered, it is unclear whether the amount, frequency or timing of alcohol consumption affects the unborn child. Thus, it was determined that no amount of alcohol is acceptable during pregnancy.

According FASAware, fetal alcohol syndrome is the leading cause of non-genetic mental handicap the Western world and is 100% preventable. Common effects of FAS are smaller and underweight babies, soft tones muscle, a thin upper lip, low nasal bridge, permanent brain damage, speech disorders, heart and eye problems and many others. It seems that almost all types of birth defects can be attributed to drinking water throughout pregnancy.

Of all the birth defects, central nervous system damage in the brain is the main effect of alcohol exposure in utero. When brain cells grow, they become deformed and underdeveloped when exposed to alcohol by the mother. This can create a variety of cognitive and functional as a bad memory and attention deficit disorder. There are also a number of secondary disabilities, including mental health and substance abuse.

The risk of brain damage from exposure to alcohol is evident in all three months that the brain is constantly changing throughout pregnancy.

FAS is the leading known cause of mental retardation in the Western world. In the U.S. alone, the FAS is present up to two times in each 1,000 births, which is higher than other developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome and spina bifida.

FAS is relatively unknown at the moment and it is difficult to determine the exact cause. The first observation known deficits of birth was made in 1899 by Liverpool, Dr William Sullivan. Sullivan conducted a study of 120 women prisoners and noted higher rates of stillbirth Part alcoholic quota.

Similar observations have been made by many other scientists and psychologists over the years but it was only in 1973 that the SAF has received its official designation by Dr. Kenneth Lyons Jones and David W. Smith of the University of Washington. While most syndromes are named after their discoverer, Jones and Smith named FAS after preventable cause.

There is no cure available for FAS because of the enormous damage to the central nervous system, which creates damage to permanent disability. There are, however, the available treatment. Because damage to the central nervous system varies from one individual to another, there is no single treatment that works for everyone, but a variety of treatments are offered from different models.

Traditional medical interventions such as psychotropic drugs are commonly used on patients with a poor attention span, similar to people with ADHD. Special education services are also used in such cases. Of course, there is no treatment for children born with physical deformities.

Like smoking during pregnancy, alcohol abuse is strongly deprecated in modern society. It was found that smoking increases the risk of stillbirth, reduced weight of the newborn child and increases the chances of ectopic pregnancy (where the embryo implants in the fallopian tube). The only true way to prevent FAS is to cut out all alcohol from your diet completely. While some studies have found a small amount of alcohol does not cause danger to the fetus, pregnant women would do well to stay away from altogether.