Fetal Alcohol Syndrome FAS

2736 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: consequences of using alcohol in pregnancy

Could you ever imagine feeding your infant alcohol through a bottle? This is equivalent to what alcohol does to the fetus in the womb. This results in a tragic disease known as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Alcohol can affect a human body in many different ways. Alcohol can be the highlight of a party and make anything exciting, but also can seriously alter human life. It’s quite often that we see on the news another victim dead, or in critical condition because their signs and symptoms were loud enough for others to notice, because a baby cannot speak for itself it isn’t able to show signs of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is effecting it. Most mothers would agree that they would not feed their infant alcohol through a bottle so why do they choose to drink while pregnant? Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is abuse and affects a child from the moment of birth. Babies born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome possess physical deformities from birth but later develop emotional issues, learning disabilities and FAS can effect anyone, however certain racial or ethnic groups are more prone to FAS. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome needs to be addressed through education and awareness because there is no cure and it is a growing issue.

If mothers were aware of the consequences of drinking while pregnant they might think twice about the one glass of wine or alcohol of any kind.Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is caused by prenatal exposure to high levels of alcohol(Stratton et al. 2). In the first three weeks of pregnancy or the embryonic stage is considered a critical period. Birth defects or “tertaogenic” actions are producing the most prevalent and severe characteristics of FAS( Stratton et al. 2)Drinking an average of 3 drinks/daily during the period following conception and ju...

... middle of paper ...

...assistance and general education about the effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. By making the general public and targeting specific groups with information about the seriousness of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome the prevalence in all races could decrease.

Alcohol has the effect to change human life in seconds and impair our judgment. Alcohol can take a human life instantly in a car crash or it can slowly alter an innocent life of a fetus and never actually giving them a fair chance at life. The life long side effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome will always plague the fetus of a mother who chooses who consume alcohol while pregnant. There is never a “safe” amount of alcohol for a pregnant woman. By increasing the awareness of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and providing information on how the syndrome will affect a future human’s life, can stop the issue of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Show More
Related

  • Barriers to Screening Pregnant Women for Substance Abuse

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    Miner KJ, Holtan N, Braddock M, Cooper H, Kloehn D. Barriers to screening and counseling pregnant women for alcohol use. Minn Med. 1996;79:43–47.

    Read More

  • Autonomy And Paternalism Essay

    1193 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggestion that a pregnant woman should not drink alcohol during pregnancy (Advisory on alcohol use in pregnancy 2005) has been widely criticized as being unnecessarily paternalistic, but the CDC goes further into explaining that, “Alcohol consumed during pregnancy increases the risk of alcohol related birth defects, including growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities, central nervous system impairment, behavioral disorders, and impaired intellectual development” (Advisory on alcohol use in pregnancy

    Read More

  • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

    1375 Words  | 3 Pages

    lip, skin folds at the corners of the eyes, indistinct groove on the upper lip, and an

    Read More

  • Effects of Alcohol and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

    1695 Words  | 4 Pages

    a patient's birth defects. In other words, FAE is a less severe form of FAS.

    Read More

  • Drinking Alcohol While Pregnant Should Be Illegal

    431 Words  | 1 Pages

    Women who are pregnant, but drink moderate amounts of alcohol still pose many dangerous threats to their unborn child. A fetal alcohol effect is one of them, with slight deformities, mental retardation, and learning disabilities. Fetal alcohol effected children not only have physical differences from normal children, but also suffer with psychiatric problems and at more apt to get in trouble with the law. Pregnant women who drink not only run the risk of having a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome, but of having a child with alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder. Alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder occurs when children have prenatal exposure to alcohol. These babies have cognitive and behavioral problems that are alcohol-related, without the severe facial or growth deformities babies with fetal alcohol syndrome have. Pregnant women who drink expose their baby to teratogen ethanol- the active ingredient in alcohol. The fetus exposure is longer and more intense compared to the mother who is able to metabolize the teratogen ethanol.

    Read More

  • Nature Vs Nurture Essay

    1894 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Can I consume even a miniscule amount of alcohol?” a common, yet preposterous question asked by numerous pregnant women. The common answer given by doctors is yes, you may. Many women don’t know, but according to nofas.org, women who drink as little as two glasses of wine per day can adversely affect their offspring’s effectiveness at school. According to the Institute of Medicine 1996, “Of all the substances of abuse (including heroin, cocaine,and marijuana), alcohol by far produces the most neurobehavioral effects in the fetus”. Fetal alcohol syndrome is a possible outcome of drinking while pregnant. This horrid disease can cause aberrant facial characteristics, growth deficits, brain damage that results in mental retardation, hyperactivity,

    Read More

  • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

    1947 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many studies have established that a developing organism is susceptible to exogenous and endogenous factors during certain stage of the organism’s development. The effects of ethyl alcohol or ethanol on the developing fetus, which manifest a variety of characteristic abnormalities, are collectively called Fetal alcohol Syndrome. Ethanol exposure to the fetus causes various malformation ranging from the cellular to the organismic levels with the eventual results frequently being different levels of mental retardation (3).

    Read More

  • Alcohol And Fetuses Essay

    2025 Words  | 5 Pages

    When it comes to pregnancy, expectant mothers usually have a lot of questions and concerns. One such concern is alcohol consumption. Some people feel that it is okay while others are against the consumption. However those who drink take a huge risk that can result in what is referred to as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). This umbrella term is used to describe the range of damage from alcohol exposure to a fetus. The characteristics, diagnosis, and the mother are all important factors to look at when trying to understand these birth defects.

    Read More

  • Environmental Influences On Prenatal Development

    534 Words  | 2 Pages

    A mother who drinks while she is pregnant stands a high risk of harming their unborn child because the alcohol passes through her blood to her baby, and that can harm the development of the baby’s cells. This is most likely to harm the baby’s brain and spinal cord. Many of the common effects of a child suffering from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is: distinctive facial features, growth problems making them smaller than the average child, and learning and behavior problems.

    Read More

  • Essay On Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

    1085 Words  | 3 Pages

    Multiple studies have found that FAS is the single most common cause of mental retardation that is completely preventable. When alcohol is consumed during pregnancy it acts as a teratogen, which means it is a substance that interferes with growth and development, and is capable of causing birth defects such as hearing loss, vision loss, reduced cognitive ability, and motor skill deficiencies. Flattened mid-face, short nose and a thinner upper lip are also common physical abnormalities (Tangient LLC, 2014). When consumed, alcohol from the mother’s bloodstream crosses easily into the fetal bloodstream. Because of their size, the unborn baby has a lower capability to metabolize the alcohol, thus it remains in its system for a longer period of time and can result in...

    Read More

  • Alcohol Consumption Among First Time Mothers And Its Effects On Preterm Birth

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... excluded potential risk factors for preterm birth including previous pregnancies and multiple births. Thus, these results should only be applied to the risk of alcohol consumption for primiparous mothers with singleton pregnancies. However, despite the lack of risks identified in this study, alcohol use during pregnancy has been linked to disabilities. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP, 2011), its adverse effects include fetal alcohol syndrome, learning disabilities, social ineptness, depression, and anxiety. The AACAP strongly recommends against pregnant women consuming any form of alcohol at any level. Despite the data presented by Dale et al. (2016), the question of the other risks of alcohol consumption on the fetus was not explored and thus alcohol use during pregnancy should not be condoned solely based on this study.

    Read More

  • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

    2587 Words  | 6 Pages

    Alcohol (wine, beer, or liquor) is the leading known preventable cause of developmental and physical birth defects in the United States. When a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy, she risks giving birth to a child who will pay the price, in mental and physical deficiencies, for his or her entire life. One study (Phyllis Trujillo Lewis, MA, Philip A. May, PhD, and Virginia C. Shipman, PhD, 2007) asserted that “Numerous studies on alcohol-related birth defects have concluded that maternal drinking, compounded by other risk factors, leads to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS is a serious birth defect and the most common non-genetic cause of mental retardation” as said by (Hankin, 2002; Abel & Sokol,1986; O’Connor, Kogan, & Findlay, 2002; May & Gossage, in press). It is unknown how much maternal alcohol consumption results in FAS or other related disorders, or why some women who drink are at substantially higher risk of giving birth to a child with alcohol-related disabilities than others (Stratton, Howe, & Battaglia, 1996). However, researchers have identified several maternal risk factors differentially associated with FAS. These include advanced maternal age, number of pregnancies, previous births of a child with FAS, cohabitation with a male partner who drinks heavily, and low socioeconomic status (SES; May et al. 2004; 2008a; Viljoen et al., 2002). FAS is 100% preventable, which makes awareness and education the core preventative method for FAS. It is seen through Lewis, May & Shipman’s research that women who are less educated are less aware of the risks involved with drinking while pregnant.

    Read More

  • Children And Alcohol Abuse Essay

    1752 Words  | 4 Pages

    Children can be effected by their caregiver’s alcohol and substance abuse in numerous ways. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a pattern of birth defects caused by maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. Children born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome tend to have physical abnormalities such as deformed facial characteristics. They are generally born with a variety of emotional and/or intellectual limitations. It is very common for these children to...

    Read More

  • The Effects Of Alcohol Use During Pregnancy

    1617 Words  | 4 Pages

    “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out!” A child has most likely heard that phrase at some point in their life. Although, it is not ethical or legal for a mother to “take her kid out of this world”, it does bring up a good point that it was through her body, that the child was born. One of the most important responsibilities in this world is a mother carrying a child in the womb. There are many divine processes that take place during gestation, but there are also many contributing factors from the mother that can affect the developing human. These factors may include what a woman ingests and exposes her embryo or fetus to. Sadly, alcohol use during pregnancy is an ongoing problem that can have detrimental affects on the fetus, including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Choosing to drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy is a choice, a risky choice. Unfortunately some women don’t even know they are making a risky choice by consuming alcohol because it is in the early stages of pregnancy. It is common for a female to not find out they are pregnant until at least the fifth or sixth week after fertilization. In 2006, 49% of all pregnancies in the United States were reported unintended on a national survey.1 The highest rate of preventable birth defects and mental retardation is due to alcohol use.2 In this paper, I will further discuss FAS, the potential effects of binge drinking during the embryonic stage of gestation, and what actions need to be taken in order to reduce the incidences of alcohol related birth defects.

    Read More

  • Ethiopia: Maternal Mortality and the Access to Care

    1306 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ce of mortality, education can also be given to them about healthy child development and what to expect when they deliver their child. This can help reduce the amount of children becoming ill. A program such as the one described can have a positive impact and has the potential of saving millions of lives.

    Read More

More about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome FAS

Open Document