Anyone who is pregnant should have regular care throughout the pregnancy. If a pregnant person has a problem with using alcohol and cannot stop using, substance use treatment during pregnancy should be offered. It’s also recommended that you not drink alcohol if you’re sexually active and not using effective birth control. Alcohol consumption could harm the developing fetus at any time during pregnancy — especially early on in the development process. If you did drink any amount of alcohol during pregnancy, it’s important to know that your healthcare provider and your baby’s pediatrician need to know to help you plan for your child’s future. If you adopted a child or are providing foster care, you may not know if the biological mother drank alcohol while pregnant.

Signs and symptoms

It can sometimes be difficult to diagnose a person with FASD because of the variety of symptoms and spectrum of severity. Also, not all people who drink while pregnant feel comfortable talking to their healthcare provider. This means that some people with mild symptoms of FASD might never be diagnosed. Prenatal exposure to alcohol (ethanol) results in a continuum of physical, neurological, behavioral, and learning defects collectively grouped under the heading Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) was first defined in 1973 as a condition characterized by pre- and postnatal growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities, and defects of the central nervous system.

Health Conditions

FASD is caused by prenatal alcohol exposure, which is the leading preventable cause of congenital conditions in the United States. There are currently five types of FASD, including FAS, diagnosed by prenatal alcohol exposure, craniofacial dysmorphology, growth impairment, and neurodevelopmental problems. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) describes a group of permanent symptoms experienced by people who were exposed to alcohol in utero (during pregnancy).

FASD Network UK

Alcohol was not viewed as dangerous for pregnant people until 1973 when the diagnosis of FAS was first implemented. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not make a public awareness announcement about the side effects of alcohol use during pregnancy until 1977. Even a small amount of alcohol can have adverse effects on a growing fetus. Alcohol seems most damaging in the first trimester (three months) of pregnancy but can affect the fetus at any time during the pregnancy. However, most studies have not researched FAS symptoms in people over the age of 30.

Many children born with FAS have smaller heads than those without the condition. People with FAS may have distinctive facial features, which range from small eye openings to a flat nose bridge. Occupational therapy (OT) focuses on developing the skills needed for daily living and independence. It helps children improve fine motor skills, sensory processing and coordination, as well helping them to improve their life skills, all drunken baby syndrome of which can be areas of difficulty for those with FASD.

• The most severe type of FASD — fetal alcohol syndrome — may cause distinctive facial features.
• When a child is diagnosed, other children of the mother should be evaluated to determine whether they also have FAS.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Request a free evaluation to find out if your child can get services to help. You do not need to wait for a healthcare provider’s referral or a medical diagnosis to make this call. After delivery, you should continue to pay attention to when you drink alcohol if you’re breastfeeding your baby.

Establishing and maintaining stable relationships can also be challenging. Impulse control issues, emotional dysregulation and social difficulties can lead to conflicts in personal and professional relationships. Common learning challenges include problems with reading, mathematics and overall academic performance. Because many people do not know they are pregnant during those first few weeks, the risk of FAS increases if you drink alcohol and have unprotected sex. Diagnosing FASDs can be hard because there is no medical test, like a blood test, for these conditions. And other disorders, such as ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and Williams syndrome, have some symptoms alcoholism treatment like FAS.