Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a disorder that can happen to children whose mothers drank sufficient amounts of alcohol sometime throughout their pregnancy. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a condition classified in a group called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, and is the most known and severe of the group.
FAS, depending on the factors such as location, population and race studied is considered one of the leading known causes of mental retardation and birth defects, with 0.2 – 1.5 out of every 1,000 live births (Ismail, Buckley, Budacki, Jabbar, & Gallicano, 2010) and as many as 40,000 infants born with some sort of disorder or complication related to alcohol consumption every year. (Mayo Clinic, 2009)
The severity that the disorder may have on a fetus depends on the amount of alcohol that was consumed and the time of consumption when the fetus was in uetero. FAS does not always result from high amounts of alcohol ingested by the mother, but possibly when it was consumed. The most critical time of fetal development in pregnancy is throughout the first trimester when the fetal body systems and organs are in the most vital stages of development, and are at risk for being severely altered, effecting every individual diagnosed in different ways. The central nervous system and brain are most affected, leading to developmental and cognitive alterations as well as physical changes of the child that is born with FAS. (Ismail, Buckley, Budacki, Jabbar, & Gallicano, 2010)
Fetal Alcohol syndrome is one of the leading causes of disabilities that could be prevented in the world; the costs of someone with FAS are between $800,000 to over 2.0 million dollars in medical and overall costs throughout their life. (Lupton, Burd, & Hardwood, 2004)...
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Lupton, C., Burd, L., & Hardwood, R. . (2004). Cost of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part C: Seminars in1 Medical Genetics, 127C(1), Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajmg.c.30015/full doi: 10.1002/ajmg.c.30015
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2009, May 22). Fetal Alcohol Syndrom Retrieved February 13 2011, from the MayoClinic Website: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fetal-alcohol-syndrome/DS00184
Nathanson, V., & O'Brien, P. (2007). Is it safe for women to drink small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy?. British Medical Journal , 335, 856-857.
Peadon, E., Payne, J., Henley, Nadine, D'Antoine, H., & Bartu, A., et al. (2010). Women. BMC Puplic Health, 10(510), Retrieved from http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/10/510 doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-510
(Alters, 2012). Additionally, the CDC has found that 12% of pregnant women reported that they drank alcohol while pregnant and nearly 2% admitted engaging in binge drinking (consuming 5 or more drinks on any one occasion) while pregnant. The life time cost for an individual with FAS estimated in 2002 was $2 million, more for those with profound intellectual disability, the cost to the United States alone is over $4
A mother who drinks while she is pregnant stands a high risk of harming their unborn child because the alcohol passes through her blood to her baby, and that can harm the development of the baby’s cells. This is most likely to harm the baby’s brain and spinal cord. Many of the common effects of a child suffering from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is: distinctive facial features, growth problems making them smaller than the average child, and learning and behavior problems.
There is no known safe amount of alcohol a woman can drink while pregnant. Alcohol can cause life-long physical and behavioral problems in children, including fetal alcohol syndrome. FAS is a serious condition where babies can be born with mentally ill condition and may have deformation mainly in there face. When you consume alcohol during pregnancy, so does your baby, because alcohol passes freely through the placenta to your baby. If you choose to drink alcohol while you are pregnant, you will increase the risk that your baby will be born with a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Fetal alcohol syndrome is a condition in a child that results from alcohol exposure during the mother 's pregnancy. Fetal alcohol syndrome causes brain damage and growth problems. The problems caused by fetal alcohol syndrome vary from child to child, but defects caused by fetal alcohol syndrome are
Pregnant women who drink often miscarry or have low-birth weight infants, and are at a much greater risk of having a child who has fetal alcohol syndrome. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome can include heart defects, poor coordination, hyperactive behavior; learning and developmental disabilities, and mental retardation. These problems are long term and also come with physical deformities like a narrow head, smaller eyes, and stunted growth. These effects are more common to women who are either heavy drinkers or binge drinkers.
The intake of drugs and alcohol during pregnancy can cause many different birth defects. Drugs and alcohol can easily reach the baby while inside the mother. When a pregnant woman consumes a drug or some alcohol it enters into her bloodstream, then makes its way to the placenta. When it reaches the placenta it travels through the umbilical cord to the baby’s body (Schniderman pg. 27). Once it reaches the bay it can cause a lot of different problems. Drinking alcohol can cause the baby to be born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. If too much alcohol gets into the baby’s bloodstream the baby will most likely have FAS. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome can affect an infant after it is born or even later on in life. Kids with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome can be impulsive at times, and they tend to not learn from their own mistakes and behavior unlike other children (Stewart pg. 47). Having a child with FAS could be very hard. They have difficulties trying to learn certain things. Learning from mistakes make life so much easier, and having a child who cannot do that could be very stressful. Many people put the...
Merrick J, Merrick E, Morad M, Kandel I. (2006). Fetal alcohol syndrome and its long-term effects. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Faculty of Health Sciences Jun;58(3):211-8.
When it comes to pregnancy, expectant mothers usually have a lot of questions and concerns. One such concern is alcohol consumption. Some people feel that it is okay while others are against the consumption. However those who drink take a huge risk that can result in what is referred to as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). This umbrella term is used to describe the range of damage from alcohol exposure to a fetus. The characteristics, diagnosis, and the mother are all important factors to look at when trying to understand these birth defects.
In both Canada and Australia the number of babies born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders has been increasing drastically.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a disorder that causes physical, mental, and learning problems. FAS is caused by drinking of alcohol during pregnancy when the baby is exposed to alcohol in the womb.
First named and treated in the 1960’s, the condition results from the toxic effect of alcohol consumption and its chemical factors on a developing fetus. FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation in one out of every seven hundred fifty births. This number changes drastically if the mother is a heavy, habitual alcoholic, as high as twenty nine children out of every one thousand births. The ultimate sadness of this disease is that is one hundred percent
Children can be effected by their caregiver’s alcohol and substance abuse in numerous ways. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a pattern of birth defects caused by maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. Children born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome tend to have physical abnormalities such as deformed facial characteristics. They are generally born with a variety of emotional and/or intellectual limitations. It is very common for these children to...
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) are identified as a category of birth disorders caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. These can include physical or intellectual anomalies, such as cardiac, skeletal, visual, aural, and fine or gross motor problems. (Callanan, 2013) Prevention would involve alcohol use prevention programs for women who are pregnant, and treatment for FAS and FASD would be aimed at helping those affected realize their full potential through both family and individual interventions. While there is no cure for FAS or FASD, appropriate treatments can aide individuals with these diagnoses to minimize the effects.
“I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!” A child has most likely heard that phrase at some point in their life. Although, it is not ethical or legal for a mother to “take her kid out of this world”, it does bring up a good point that it was through her body, that the child was born. One of the most important responsibilities in this world is a mother carrying a child in the womb. There are many divine processes that take place during gestation, but there are also many contributing factors from the mother that can affect the developing human. These factors may include what a woman ingests and exposes her embryo or fetus to. Sadly, alcohol use during pregnancy is an ongoing problem that can have detrimental affects on the fetus, including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Choosing to drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy is a choice, a risky choice. Unfortunately some women don’t even know they are making a risky choice by consuming alcohol because it is in the early stages of pregnancy. It is common for a female to not find out they are pregnant until at least the fifth or sixth week after fertilization. In 2006, 49% of all pregnancies in the United States were reported unintended on a national survey.1 The highest rate of preventable birth defects and mental retardation is due to alcohol use.2 In this paper, I will further discuss FAS, the potential effects of binge drinking during the embryonic stage of gestation, and what actions need to be taken in order to reduce the incidences of alcohol related birth defects.
Although the amount of alcohol reaching the embryo is a big factor; genetics, nutritional, age of mother and time of exposure must be taken into consideration. These factors are just as important as alcohol reaching he embryo is. Exposure of alcohol before birth can result in many syndromes and disorders including Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Practical awareness of alcohol and the rate of metabolism are affected by genetics.