Essay on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

According to Seaver, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is birth defects causing learning, and behavioral problems in individuals whose mothers drank alcohol during pregnancy. This disorder is very serious, yet it is recognized as one of the most preventable. This causes major issues, when something so serious could be prevented but is not. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a problem because it leaves a permanent effect on the unborn child, but some solutions could be educating women and putting up more informational posters and warning labels on products.

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

FAS is defined as a medical diagnosis involving four key features: alcohol exposure, growth deficiently, certain facial features, and brain damage. Infants who have been exposed to prenatal alcohol rarely show all symptoms of the medical condition FAS. Other terms have been used to describe the implication involved with FAS. Frequently used terms are: Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Alcohol-related Neurodevelopmental Disorder and Alcohol-related Birth Defects. A child with Partial Fetal Alcohol syndrome exhibits only some of the physical signs of FAS and will likely have both learning and behavioral difficulties. A child suffering from Alcohol-related Neurodevelopmental Disorder will demonstrate signs of neural damage, problems with memory, poor social skills, and learning difficulties. Children diagnosed with

A pregnant woman's lifestyle ultimately affects the development of her baby. Excessive exposure to alcohol during pregnancy can inflict serious, permanent physical and mental damage on her child. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol she is making her child drink also. In knowing how Fetal Alcohol Syndrome can be prevented, what the symptoms are, and who and what make up the risk factors fetal alcohol syndrome can be better understood.

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

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) refers to a group of physical and mental birth defects resulting from a women’s drinking alcohol heavily or at crucial stages during pregnancy. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was first named and treated in the late 1960's. This condition results from the toxic effect of alcohol and its chemical factors on the developing fetus. FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation occurring in 1 out of every 750 births. The frequency of FAS occurs about 1.9 times out of every 1000 births according to the latest figures, and minor effects can be seen in up to 20% of pregnancies per year. This number changes drastically for women who are clearly alcoholics. As high as 29 children out of every 1000 births will suffer from FAS

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (known as FASD), is a term which encompasses a wide variety of negative health consequences as a result of exposure to alcohol while in the womb (Williams, 2006). This exposure has the potential to cause severe, permanent brain damage leading to cognitive and behavioural deficiencies throughout childhood and adolescence (Brown et al., 2015). FASD only occurs within the general population of North America in approximately 9.1 out of every 1000 births (McLachlan et al., 2014). However, this condition is much more prevalent in individuals involved in various stages of the justice system, affecting between 10% and 23% (McLachlan et al., 2014). This paper aims to explain how FASD affects a juvenile’s brain

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is an increasing problem in our world today. At least 5,000 infants are born each year with FAS, or about one out of every 750 live births, which is an alarming number. In the United States there has been a significant increase in the rate of infants born with FAS form 1 per 10,000 births in 1979 to 6.7 per 10,000 in 1993 (Chang, Wilikins-Haug, Berman, Goetz 1). In a report, Substance Abuse and the American Woman, sent out by the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, at least one of every five pregnant women uses alcohol and/or other drugs during pregnancy (http:/www.nofas.org/stats.htm). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) refers to a group of physical and mental birth defects that are the

The CDC talks about the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders; the causes, prevention, symptoms, treatment and ways to get help. The FASDs causes the baby to have problems when they are born and throughout their whole life. The cause of FASDs is when a woman drinks alcohol when she’s pregnant, or does not know that she is pregnant will cause problems to herself and the baby. When the mother drinks alcohol it’s in her blood, and it passes to the baby through the umbilical cord (CDC). Obviously, the prevention of FASDs is to avoid alcohol when you’re pregnant or start feeling nausea, morning sickness or any other pregnancy symptoms. The symptom and signs of having this disorder are learning disabilities, poor memory, problem learning math, problems

Symptoms can range from mild to severe.” There are many symptoms/causes of FAS such as: Growth retardation, Unique Facial features; almond shaped eyes, short, upturned nose, flattened cheeks, small jaw, thin upper lip, flattened philtrum, Nervous system problems; Mental retardation, hyperactivity, delayed development of gross motor skills and fine motor skills, impaired language development, memory problems, poor judgement, distractibility, impulsiveness, seizures, and problems with learning. Not only can children have all the following issues but when they’re born they can be premature, have a small skull, and have hearing disorders. That’s not even all the side effects of drinking when your pregnant! A child can suffer from ADD, psychosis, drug and alcohol abuse. Children that are FAS are more likely to be suspended in school, and a higher rate of FAS children end up involved in the criminal justice system. When a woman drinks alcohol while she is pregnant the alcohol travels through her blood stream and across the placenta reaching her fetus. An adult woman’s body can break down alcohol quicker but babies’ bodies are much smaller therefore the alcohol content is much higher in the baby’s

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders describes the wide range of effects that can occur if a mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects include physical abnormalities, mental problems, and/or learning disabilities with possible lifelong implications. The child affected is more likely to have trouble in school, problems with the law, participate in high risk behaviors and/or problems with drugs or alcohol. The most severe form of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders is known as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).

FAS, also known as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Is a condition the occurs in a female's off spring when the mother drinks alcohol during any time during her pregnancy. What happens is that the baby absorbs the alcohol through the mother's placenta. There the alcohol can enter the fetus blood stream slowing poisoning the fetus. FAS can lead behavioral problems, speech problems, facial deformities, as well as learning problems.

Alcohol is known as one the most dangerous teratogens. Every time a pregnant woman drinks, she allows alcohol to enter her blood stream and make its way into the placenta. Unlike the mother, the fetus is unable to break down alcohol that makes the blood alcohol level of the fetus the same or higher than the mother (Burk, 2013). Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), and prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) are considered some of the most serious consequences of maternal drinking during pregnancy. Children can exhibit physical abnormalities such as a flat mid-face, a thin upper lip, a smooth groove between the nose and upper lip, along with growth retardation, and cognitive difficulties. The affected children also have cognitive difficulties which include intelligence, language, memory, and learning (Wacha & Obrzut, 2007).

What do you think about drinking during pregnancy? Do you know what FAS is? Do you want your child to have FAS? Read on and I believe you will come to the same conclusion as I have about FAS.

Since the discovery of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in 1973, government agencies have begun to give recommendations in a more precautious manner. I think that the intention behind it is to allow expecting or future mothers who consume large amounts of alcohol to feel confortable during their pregnancy. That they do not have to feel that they are being monitored or that they are being restricted from a right they are entitled to.