ALCOHOL & PREGNANCY
Question: I just found out I'm six weeks pregnant. But I've been drinking socially up until now. What harm have I done to my fetus? Will my child suffer from fetal alcohol syndrome?
Answer: The first thing to do is stop drinking immediately, says Ann Streissguth, Ph.D., director of the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. 'It's great to have detected your pregnancy so early,' Streissguth says, 'because this will give your baby a longer period in an alcohol-free environment.'
As to your concerns about whether or not you have already harmed your baby, it's impossible to say, she says. How severely a child is affected depends on the amount of alcohol ingested, the pattern and timing of use, and individual differences in the vulnerability of the mother and baby. Many women find themselves in this situation; and many healthy adults had mothers who drank during part of their pregnancy. 'My best advice is to not worry about what's gone on before and resolve to be the best parent you can be for the rest of this pregnancy,' Streissguth says.
In 1981, the U.S. Surgeon General recommended not drinking alcoholic beverages during pregnancy or when planning a pregnancy. Many studies have shown that alcohol use during pregnancy can cause adverse outcomes, including increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirths and behavioral and learning problems in the child. Consuming significant amounts of alcohol during pregnancy can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), a birth defect diagnosed by a series of features including growth deficiency, a specific pattern of minor malformations in the face and some manifestations of brain damage or dysfunction.
Anywhere from 4,000 to 12,000 infants are born with FAS each year. Around 30 percent of mothers who drink heavily throughout pregnancy have children with FAS. The brain, which is most vulnerable to the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure, continues to develop throughout the pregnancy. So there is no known safe level or time for drinking. Heavy regular drinking is particularly dangerous, but so is an intermittent or binge pattern of alcohol use.
Decisions made by pregnant women to abstain from alcohol use during their pregnancy can truly have a lifelong, beneficial effect on their children. If you can't stop drinking all at once, it's better to cut down significantly. If you find you can't stop, then you should contact an alcohol treatment program in your community or talk with your doctor.
Answer: The first thing to do is stop drinking immediately, says Ann Streissguth, Ph.D., director of the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. 'It's great to have detected your pregnancy so early,' Streissguth says, 'because this will give your baby a longer period in an alcohol-free environment.'
As to your concerns about whether or not you have already harmed your baby, it's impossible to say, she says. How severely a child is affected depends on the amount of alcohol ingested, the pattern and timing of use, and individual differences in the vulnerability of the mother and baby. Many women find themselves in this situation; and many healthy adults had mothers who drank during part of their pregnancy. 'My best advice is to not worry about what's gone on before and resolve to be the best parent you can be for the rest of this pregnancy,' Streissguth says.
In 1981, the U.S. Surgeon General recommended not drinking alcoholic beverages during pregnancy or when planning a pregnancy. Many studies have shown that alcohol use during pregnancy can cause adverse outcomes, including increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirths and behavioral and learning problems in the child. Consuming significant amounts of alcohol during pregnancy can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), a birth defect diagnosed by a series of features including growth deficiency, a specific pattern of minor malformations in the face and some manifestations of brain damage or dysfunction.
Anywhere from 4,000 to 12,000 infants are born with FAS each year. Around 30 percent of mothers who drink heavily throughout pregnancy have children with FAS. The brain, which is most vulnerable to the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure, continues to develop throughout the pregnancy. So there is no known safe level or time for drinking. Heavy regular drinking is particularly dangerous, but so is an intermittent or binge pattern of alcohol use.
Decisions made by pregnant women to abstain from alcohol use during their pregnancy can truly have a lifelong, beneficial effect on their children. If you can't stop drinking all at once, it's better to cut down significantly. If you find you can't stop, then you should contact an alcohol treatment program in your community or talk with your doctor.
