Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Effects

The science behind FAS is quite simple; as it is known that alcohol has a damaging effect on the body, it has similar consequences on the fetus. Since the fetus is constantly developing, the alcohol causes more serious defects to the unborn child. Alcohol exposure to a fetus is known as a teratogen. “Teratogens are substances or conditions that disrupt typical development in offspring as a result of gestational exposure and cause birth defects.” (Wilson & Fraser, 1977). Although the exposure to alcohol causes problems in the fetus, studies have shown that it may not accurately be the alcohol in the mother’s system that causes these defects, rather the byproducts that form when the body metabolizes the alcohol. This can lead to a decrease in brain cells, abnormal location of neurons, and gross malformation to the brain. Since alcohol causes this central nervous system damage, it is classified as a neurobehavioral teratogen, which is a group of teratogens that cause brain damage and modify behaviors. (Riley & Vorhees, 1986). The CNS damage is the primary defect due to alcohol and it is quite common to have these damages without any physical abnormalities. The more alcohol that is consumed the more birth defects that will arise in the

Alcohol is not the solution; it’s proven that those who consume alcohol have a greater risk to have a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome. Signs and symptoms are different on most babies but may include different physical defects as intellectual or cognitive disabilities and problems coping and functioning with daily life. Distinctive facial features, deformity of joins, vision and hearing problems, poor coordination and valance, poor memory, poor social skills and difficulty planning or working towards a goal are just some of those problems.

During the last trimester of pregnancy, the fetus' lungs and liver are maturing, and the unborn baby's liver is unable to handle any level of alcohol. At these stages it is critical for the mother to refrain from drinking alcohol, in order to ensure the health of the baby. Some effects to the fetus of drinking alcohol during pregnancy are: prenatal growth retardation, specifically, facial deformities, and a tendency to be smaller in weight, length, and head circumference. In addition, alcohol causes neurodevelopment defects and central nervous system dysfunction to the unborn baby. FAS infants are also at an increased risk for many common birth defects, including congenial heart disease, abnormalities of the urinary tract and genitals, and spina bifida. Although these abnormalities are not specific to FAS, they do assist in the diagnosis of the problem.

Since FAS is such a prevalent problem, researchers have had to come up with different way to try and help prevent it. The most prominent solution to FAS is making the people aware of the consequences of drinking while pregnant (Hankin). Most people do not think about how drinking does not affect just them or they just simply don’t care. Even though most people are aware that they are not suppose to drink while pregnant it is crucial that warning signs are put up and labels are put on all alcoholic products (Hankin). This will hopefully make those that are drinking conscious of their decisions and have no excuses for their action. Because most people

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a combination of physical and mental birth defects. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol she is making her child drink also. However, alcohol itself may not be directly responsible for all (or any) of the features of FAS. What may be responsible are

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The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome states "Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the name given to a group of physical and mental birth defects that are the direct result of a woman's drinking during pregnancy" (NOFAS 1). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the only disease that is one

As stated earlier, alcohol has its greatest effect on the developing embryo during the first trimester of pregnancy with its teratogenic effect causing mental retardation as well as characteristic craniofacial abnormalities that are characteristic of the disease. It has also been demonstrated with experimental animal models that there is a clear "dose-response" effect between the amount of alcohol consumed by the mother and the risk that is associated with developing FAS symptoms (Walpole, p. 875). It has been proposed by Walpole and associates that there are various degrees to which the fetus An be effected. Walpole uses the term "fetal alcohol syndrome" to refer to serious effects due to heavy maternal drinking and "fetal alcohol effect" to refer to those effects thought to occur with lower maternal alcohol intake (Walpole, p. 875). Regardless of the degree to which

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome. The severely effected victims of the syndrome have a variety of congenital defects: mental retardation, coordination problems, and heart, eye, and genitourinary malformations, as well as low birth weight and slowed growth rate. Most apparent are characteristic facial abnormalities.

Fetal alcohol syndrome, or FAS, is a condition that is caused by alcohol use during pregnancy. Doctors have repeatedly warned about the dangers of alcohol use during pregnancy. However, some women still choose to drink while they are pregnant. It is estimated that one in 750 babies in America are born with FAS.

pregnancy. FAS is unique in that effects on the children are directly linked to maternal drinking

Based on the data of Samuels and other medical researchers, it becomes clear that less than 0.1% of all birth defects are related to alcohol, and that more than 90% of the affected children are born to women with a history of alcohol

The fastest sperm has finally reached the outskirts of the awaiting egg, its sole purpose in life has been fulfilled as it fuses with the oocyte. Lots of divisions begin to occur, what was once a zygote becomes a blastocyst, which becomes the embryo, and the beginning formation of a baby has commenced. The difficult part is over now, right? This could not be further from the truth. The development of a human, from fertilization to birth, is a very complex and intricate process. It is through very specific processes that an embryo develops normally, without any sort of functional or structural irregularities. When harmful substances like alcohol interrupt these processes, the contaminated environment surrounding and

A mother who doesn’t consume alote of alcohol could give birth to a baby with FAS while another that drinks alote could give birth to a healthy baby because of genetics.

Even a small amount of alcohol has the potential to hurt the child. The unborn child of a person who occasionally drinks is at risk of receiving fetal alcohol effects. This condition causes children to receive some of the same of the same effects that come from fetal alcohol syndrome. A child may not receive any of these conditions due to a mother’s alcohol consumption, but there are still some potential effects. Evidence shows that when a pregnant mother consumes an average of two alcoholic beverages per day, her child may have a lower amount of intelligence and is also at risk for having mental retardation. Also, there is research that suggests that even low quantities of alcohol consumed during pregnancy can have contrary effects on the child’s behavioral and psychological functions, and can cause a child to exhibit behaviors such as hyperactivity, unusual nervousness or anxiety, and poor impulse control. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can also cause children to have less accuracy in their spatial and visual reasoning later in their lives. Due to these results, Sarah should be advised to not drink alcohol while she is