McKesson Clinical Reference Systems: Women's Health Advisor 2002.2

What is fetal alcohol syndrome?

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the term used for problems a child may have if you drink too much alcohol during pregnancy. These problems may be physical, mental, or behavioral.

You also have an increased risk of miscarriage if you drink too much alcohol during pregnancy.

How does it occur?

Any alcohol you drink goes into your bloodstream and then through the placenta and into the baby's bloodstream. The amount of alcohol in the baby's bloodstream is the same as the amount in your bloodstream. The alcohol can affect the baby's growth and development.

Doctors and researchers are not sure how much alcohol puts the baby at risk. The more you drink during pregnancy, the greater the danger to the baby. Regular drinking can harm your baby. There may be less risk if you drink moderately and seldom. Women who have 1 or more drinks every week are much more likely to have children with FAS than women who seldom drink during pregnancy.

It is not clear that in order to prevent FAS you must never drink alcohol during pregnancy. However, because we do not know what level of alcohol becomes dangerous, drinking no alcohol at all during pregnancy is the only sure way to avoid any risk of problems from alcohol.

How is it diagnosed?

There is no reliable way to diagnose FAS before birth. However, if an ultrasound during pregnancy shows that the baby is small for its age, your health care provider may consider FAS as a possible cause.

After birth, children who have FAS may have the following problems:

• mental retardation
• poor muscle coordination
• small size and slow growth
• thin upper lip
• cleft palate
• abnormalities of eyes, nose, and face
• deformities of limbs, joints, and fingers
• very small head and brain (microcephaly)
• heart defects (ventricular septal defect--a hole in the part that separates the right and left ventricles of the heart--is most common)
• chronic middle ear infections
• hearing loss
• dental problems
• vision problems
• behavioral problems such as hyperactivity, extreme nervousness, and poor attention span.

To diagnose FAS, your health care provider must find that your child has at least one of the three following types of problems:

• slowed growth (before or after birth)
• facial abnormalities
• problems with the nervous system.

What can I do to help prevent fetal alcohol syndrome?

No amount of alcohol has been proven to be absolutely safe for the unborn child. To give your baby a better chance to be born healthy, avoid alcohol throughout your pregnancy. Also, avoid drinking alcohol when you are trying to get pregnant.

This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information is intended to inform and educate and is not a replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.