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The Effects of Maternal Alcohol Use on a Developing Fetus
the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome
effect of foetal alcohol syndrome on a child
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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
It is a shame that in today’s "enlightened" society so many preventable diseases and disorders are still occurring. Fetal alcohol syndrome is one of these totally preventable disorders. It is one of the most frequent and important causes of mental and physical retardation in childhood today.
Only in the past decade or so have scientists identified and named this disorder. However, effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy have been suspected for quite some time. In the Old Testament the wife of Menoh is warned not to drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy (Judges 13, 2-25).
Despite all the current information about the negative effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, many people are still unaware of the complications it can cause. In one study it was found that students were aware that alcohol is a teratogenic substance, but had little knowledge as to the nature and timing of the possible negative side effects that alcohol consumption at each stage might cause (Haemmerlie, 1992).
Besides those who are unaware of the results of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, there are also those women who are aware of the consequences, but don’t care enough or have enough willpower to stop. These alcoholic mothers may know the consequences of drinking during pregnancy but are unable to stop themselves.
The effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol may have a wide range of possible effects; from life--threatening anomalies to mild problems with attention and learning. There are many symptomology’s that are characteristic of FAS children. The diagnosis of FAS can only be made when the patient has at least one abnormality in each of three categories (Sokol & Clarren, 1989): pre- and p...
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...sm, Vol. 16, No. 5, Oct. 1992, pp. 1001-1003.
Nanson, J. L. "Autism is F.A.S. - A Report of Six Cases". Alcoholism, Vol. 16, No. 3, May/June 1992, pp. 558-565.
Nanson, J. L., & Hiscock, M. "Attention Deficits in Children Exposed to Alcohol Prenatally". Alcoholism, Vol. 14, No. 5, Oct. 1990, pp. 656-661.
Niemele, O., Helmesmaki, E., & Ylikorkala, O. "Hemoglobin--acetaldehyde Adducts are Elevated in Women Carrying Alcohol-damaged Fetuses". Alcoholism, Vol. 15, No. 6 ,Dec. 1991, pp. 1007-1010.
Old Testament, Judges 13, 2-25.
Pullerkat, R. K. "Hypothesis: Prenatal Ethanol-induced Birth Defects and Retanoic Acid". Alcoholism, Vol. 15, No. 3, June 1991, pp. 565-567.
Sokol, R. J. & Clarren, S. K. "Guidelines for Use of Terminology Describing the Impact of Prenatal Alcohol on the Offspring". Alcoholism, Vol. 13, No. 4, July/August 1989, pp. 597-598.
... by telling them that Joseph was eaten by wolves. Potifer's wife tricks Potifer into believing that Joseph tried to sleep with her even though it was she that tried to tempt Joseph. Potifer believed the lie and sent Joseph to prison.
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.
... 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.
There is no known safe amount of alcohol a woman can drink while pregnant. Alcohol can cause life-long physical and behavioral problems in children, including fetal alcohol syndrome. FAS is a serious condition where babies can be born with mentally ill condition and may have deformation mainly in there face. When you consume alcohol during pregnancy, so does your baby, because alcohol passes freely through the placenta to your baby. If you choose to drink alcohol while you are pregnant, you will increase the risk that your baby will be born with a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Fetal alcohol syndrome is a condition in a child that results from alcohol exposure during the mother 's pregnancy. Fetal alcohol syndrome causes brain damage and growth problems. The problems caused by fetal alcohol syndrome vary from child to child, but defects caused by fetal alcohol syndrome are
“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,
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.
Merrick J, Merrick E, Morad M, Kandel I. (2006). Fetal alcohol syndrome and its long-term effects. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Faculty of Health Sciences Jun;58(3):211-8.
Thousands of children are born with effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol. Alcohol is very dangerous to the child in the womb. In the U.S, prenatal exposure is the most common reason for birth defects. Alcohol during pregnancy may increase the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, fetal alcohol syndrome, birth weight, preterm labor, and brain damage.
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.
As you can see, drug and alcohol use during pregnancy can be very dangerous. It can affect the baby size, different parts of the body, and also causes learning, emotional and physical problem that may last a lifetime. Lingen (2012) reported that pregnancy can alter how the body deals with drugs, making some drugs even more dangerous to both the mother and the baby. Prevention for alcohol abuse must start in school educational programs, they must be created to primarily address toward high risk individuals and groups. Later, a motivational intervention to decrease the danger of an alcohol-exposed pregnancy in women (Ornoy & Ergaz, 2010).
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...
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...
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) are identified as a category of birth disorders caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. These can include physical or intellectual anomalies, such as cardiac, skeletal, visual, aural, and fine or gross motor problems. (Callanan, 2013) Prevention would involve alcohol use prevention programs for women who are pregnant, and treatment for FAS and FASD would be aimed at helping those affected realize their full potential through both family and individual interventions. While there is no cure for FAS or FASD, appropriate treatments can aide individuals with these diagnoses to minimize the effects.
“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.