Alcohol Consumption During Pregnancy
Research published in The Lancet Global Health exposed a troubling landscape regarding alcohol consumption during pregnancy. According to this study, this phenomenon occurs with considerable frequency in five countries, all European.
The survey indicates that 60% of Irish women consume alcohol during pregnancy. They are followed by Belarus with 47%, Denmark with 46%, the United Kingdom with 41%, and Russia with 37%.
The same study reveals that one in 67 women who consume alcohol during pregnancy will give birth to a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome. There is no specific factor that allows us to predict in which cases the syndrome will occur and in which it will not. It is a kind of sinister lottery.
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause a number of diseases known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). It is the first cause of birth defects and developmental abnormalities of the fetus, which can be prevented.
As will be clear, alcohol consumption during pregnancy can cause severe congenital deficits, therefore before birth, but also during development. These are health problems that are destined to last a lifetime and have unpredictable consequences.
Drinking alcohol is dangerous, because this substance passes from the mother to the fetus through the umbilical cord. This has consequences ranging from miscarriage to fetal death, to disabilities and abnormalities such as the following:
- Reduced head size.
- Shorter than average stature.
- Facial anomalies.
- Low body weight.
- Hyperactivity problems.
- Deficits in coordination, memory, concentration, reasoning and intelligence.
- Learning difficulties.
- Delays in speech and language.
- Low IQ.
- Problems with sight and hearing.
- Heart, kidney and bone health difficulties.
Moderation in drinking?
Some women mistakenly think that drinking only a few glasses or taking a low-alcohol liquor has no effect on the unborn child. It is not so. Any alcohol intake is potentially dangerous during each of the stages of gestation. However, consumption is most harmful during the first three months of pregnancy.
Beer, wine or cocktails are unsafe, as they all contain alcohol. The risk of serious consequences is also very high for women who drink alcohol only once in large quantities during pregnancy. The same consideration is valid for those women who drink scarce quantities with considerable frequency.
The more alcohol you drink during pregnancy, the greater the risks of giving birth to a child with some abnormality. However, a single intake can have serious consequences. As has already been pointed out, there is a factor of randomness that is impossible to predict.
The fetal alcohol syndrome
Fetal alcohol syndrome is a disorder that occurs in children of women who have consumed alcohol during pregnancy. It causes brain damage and developmental problems. The most serious aspect is that the defects caused by this syndrome are irreversible.
The severity of the symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome varies from one case to another. These include: physical abnormalities, cognitive impairments and psychosocial difficulties. Children who are diagnosed early with this syndrome have a better prognosis than others.
Today we know that even in the absence of physical deformities evident at first sight, or not very evident, the cognitive and psychosocial effects can still be devastating.
Information to consider about alcohol consumption during pregnancy
A woman must stop drinking alcohol not only when she is pregnant but also when she wishes to conceive. It is impossible to know the exact moment when fertilization occurs, as a result, a woman may be drinking alcohol when she is already pregnant, but she is not conscious.
We still don’t know today whether traces of alcohol in semen also have similar effects. The information we have indicates that only alcohol consumption by the mother during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).
If a woman is an alcoholic and becomes pregnant, she should seek help as soon as possible to try to stop drinking. Some women drink and give birth to healthy babies, but each pregnancy is unique. It is therefore possible that one of the children is born in full health, while others may have anomalies.
