Life Piercing Pregnancy Issues : Teratogens Essay

Although throughout the United States activist and educational campaigns have flooded U.S citizens with education on the detrimental effects of maternal alcohol consumption, women are still continuing to consume alcohol while pregnant. Fifty three percent of non-pregnant woman drink alcohol, and despite health warnings, twelve percent of pregnant mothers in the United States still consume alcohol (Pruett &Waterman & Caughey, 2013, p. 62). Fetal alcohol exposure is also believed to be widely underreported in the United States (Pruett et al., 2013, p. 66). Current research concludes that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption, nor a safe time during gestation for alcohol consumption to take place (National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome [NOFAS], 2014). Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is an umbrella term used for the various conditions that maternal alcohol consumption causes. Although each case of FASD can present differently, cognitive disabilities, facial deformities, and growth retention are a few of the hallmark adverse effects that alcohol has when it enters fetal circulation (Paley & O’Connor, 2011, p. 64). The United States is impacted economically by these debilitating conditions as well, as it costs our nation $746 million dollars annually to care for these children (Bhuvaneswar, Chang, Epstein & Stern, 2007, p. 3). Nurses in America, and across the globe have a key role in helping to eliminate, and minimize adverse effects of these conditions

The fetus is not the only one harmed by alcohol consumption during pregnancy, but the mother is as well. In fact, many doctors urge women who think they are pregnant or are trying to get pregnant to stop drinking (“Fetal Alcohol”). “One percent of all mothers consume fourteen or more drinks per week during the three months before pregnancy” (Walsh 3). To the average person one percent is not too large of a proportion. However, the volume of alcohol consumed is high during

Even though there are many studies that highlight the damaging effects of maternal alcohol use on a fetus in utero, there are a multitude of other substances that are used by pregnant mothers that have similar and even, in some cases, more extreme repercussions such as marijuana, heroin, and cocaine. When speaking about pregnancy and drug use, the most common drug that comes to mind is alcohol. During 12 years of schooling, most people are exposed, at one point or another, to the idea of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and the detrimental effects of alcohol on a fetus in utero. The effects of maternal use of the aforementioned illicit drugs is less studied, partially because they are used less frequently. It is important, however, that as a population, we become more educated about these drugs and the potentially life threatening outcomes for babies in utero.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a general term consist disabilities when a mother consumes alcohol during her pregnancy. The medical prognosis of FASD includes: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (PFAS), Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND) and Alcohol Related Birth Defects (ARBD). Moreover, teratogen is a harmful agent that can interrupt the development of an embryo. For instance, alcohol is teratogen. As per Health Canada, FASD is a leading cause of a completely avertable developmental disability but it still affects approximately one percent of the Canadian population (Batshaw, Roizen & Lotrecchiano, 2012). However, there are many alterations to the disabilities and the development of sub-groups. Thereby, the term FASD is introduced to ensure the incidence of all the characteristics (mental, behavioral and physical) associated with prenatal exposure to alcohol. The exposure to alcohol during the pregnancy places the infant at the risk of developing problems such as abnormal appearance, low body weight, poor coordination, low intelligence, facial abnormalities, neuropsychological deficits, central nervous system deficits and growth delays (Riley, Infante & Warren, 2011). As the paper progress, we will discuss the characteristics, causes and the epidemiology of FASD. In addition we will all focus on the mental disorder such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) associated with FASD and a

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

According to, “Teratogens and their effects on Unborn and Nursing Infants,” published by The University of North Texas, there is a list of common teratogens that are known throughout the world and many reasons that lead to a child having chances for these teratogens. According to Kathleen Stassen Berger, writer of, “The Developing Person through Childhood and Adolescence,” she defines behavioral teratogens to be known as agents and conditions that can harm the prenatal brain, impairing the future child’s intellectual and emotional functioning. The teratogen known for behavioral is known to affect the brain in some occasions if damage is affected a lot more so invading the brain and the child intellectuality to function

One teratogen that I would like to explain is FAS, also known as Fetal Alcohol syndrome. Web MD states, “fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are a group of birth defects that can happen when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol. Fetal alcohol syndrome is the most severe type of

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).

When a woman is pregnant it is recommended that she does not consume any alcohol. If a woman does consume alcohol during the pregnancy she can cause a disorder called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (Rank, J.). In 1968, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was characterized by P. Lamoine and colleagues form Nantes. They reported their findings in the French pediatric journal but unfortunately it didn’t draw to much attention. Five years later, in 1973, it was characterized again by K.L. Jones and colleagues in Seattle. Unlike the report in 1968 that wasn’t a success, this report in the British medical journal, The Lancet, triggered a great amount of reporters of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (Perlstein, David, MD, FAAP). The disorder is characterized by brain

For chapter three teratogen assignment I chose to write about alcoholism. Alcohol is a well-known teratogen, which is a substance that interrupts emblematic growth during pregnancy which is known as Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). FASD is caused when the mother consumes alcohol during pregnancy. Because of the lack of knowledge about FASD, many baby’s, children and adults are untreated because some doctors are not aware of FASD symptoms. Doctors often conclude that the baby has ADHD, autism, attachment disorder and conduct a disorder. Some doctors in the United Kingdom declares that it is okay for a woman to intake one or two drinks per week. This information is false no women to intake in volume of alcohol while pregnant. Drinking

As previously mentioned, environmental factors, such as exposure to taratogens, can affect the development of the unborn child. Broderick and Blewitt (2105) define a teratogen as “substances or agents that can cross the placental barrier and produce fetal deformities when taken or absorbed by the mother during pregnancy” (p.619). These substances include drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, pollution, stress hormones, poor nutrition, and diseases, such as AIDS. Consumption of drugs and/or alcohol can lead to low birth weight, as well as, physical, cognitive, and behavioral abnormalities. Furthermore, more recent studies are showing that exposure to pollutants can affect an individual’s development. For example, a study of the

On average, one in thirteen pregnant women have admitted to consuming one or more alcoholic beverage in their previous thirty days of pregnancy (“Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders”). Though one drink may seem miniscule in the scope of an eight to nine month pregnancy, any amount of alcohol exposure can be detrimental to a developing child, leading to life-changing disorders such as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Fetal alcohol syndrome, a severe potential consequence of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, starts when a pregnant woman drinks an alcoholic beverage according to Mayo Clinic (“Fetal Alcohol Syndrome”). Alcohol enters the bloodstream and then can travel throughout the body. Alcohol

Alcohol is a type of teratogen, which is an agent that can caused birth defects to occur. The timing and the amount of exposure to a teratogen is crucial when it comes to a pregnancy. A mother’s use of alcohol can greatly affect an unborn child. The timing at which the effect of teratogens varies from person to person, but the time when the teratogens have the largest effect typically occurs during the periods of rapid prenatal development. Mothers who are pregnant, or who wish to become pregnant, should avoid consuming alcohol because the teratogens can affect the mother’s eggs. It is true that there are certain stages in the pregnancy where a certain amount of exposure to teratogens will only have little impact, but there is still some form of result. When

During pregnancy, the development of an unborn fetus is of extreme priority and must not be disrupted in any manner; otherwise complications arise. It is unfortunate that almost 50% of United States pregnancies are unplanned and unrecognized for weeks. It is during those unrecognized weeks that mothers continue to consume alcohol resulting in an alcohol-exposed pregnancy (Ingersoll, 2013). Mothers who consume any amount of alcohol pose a serious threat to their unborn child and even to themselves with risks including pre-term delivery, low birth weight and numerous conditions within in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. According to an

According to dictionary.com a teratogen is “a drug or other substance capable of interfering with the development of a fetus, causing birth defects”. Teratogens are also substances that are found in the environment which are known to cause defects in fetal development. Teratogens are one of the leading causes of death to newborns in the nation. “There are four major factors that depend on the extent of fetal defects and those are the dosage, genetic makeup of the mother and the developing fetus, fetal age, an other negative influences on pregnancy” (Berk, 2012). Some of the common teratogens include alcohol consumption, exposure to radiation, environmental pollution, tobacco and or drug use, and certain prescription and non-