Alcohol use among women of childbearing age is prevalent in the United States, with approximately 1 in 5 nonpregnant women reporting binge drinking (5 or more drinks on any one occasion) and 1 in 25 pregnant women reporting binge drinking. Alcohol use during pregnancy results in a spectrum of adverse outcomes known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is one of thes...

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal spectrum disorders (FASDs) are caused by prenatal exposure (PAE). They cause epigenetic changes, permanent neurodevelopmental deficits, anomalies in growth facial structure. This article enforces the need for health social care professionals to have a greater understanding awareness of how FAS FASD may impact on individual, family community, enable them pr...

Number processing deficits are frequently seen in children prenatally exposed to alcohol. Although the parietal lobe, which is known to mediate several key aspects of number processing, has been shown to be structurally impaired in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), effects on functional activity in this region during number processing have not previously been investigated. This fMRI stud...

This resource guide summarizes key information from the body of knowledge about fetal alcohol syndrome. It is the result of interagency efforts and is intended for individuals and families who are living with the results of fetal alcohol effects. It is also meant to be a resource for professionals who seek to prevent fetal alcohol exposure and to offer interventions to assist affected individua...

This article focuses on the range of fetal anomalies associated with varied alcohol ingestion during pregnancy. A means for identifying women at risk for having infants with alcohol related birth defects and the more severe fetal alcohol syndrome are discussed. Primary methods for preventing these lasting birth defects are described for practitioners.

During pregnancy, the hormonal systems of the mother and fetus are intricately interconnected to ensure normal fetal development. Accordingly, maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy can interfere with fetal development, not only directly, through adverse effects exerted by alcohol that crosses the placenta and enters the fetal bloodstream, but also indirectly, by disturbing the functions...

background: alcohol is a potent teratogen and alcohol use in pregnancy and the periconception period can cause many complications in mother, fetus and neonate.  discussion: alcohol in the mother's blood passes through the placenta to the baby through the umbilical cord. drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and a range of lifelong disorders. alcohol-related birth ...

A variety of developmental defects occur as a result of prenatal exposure to alcohol (ethanol) in utero. In humans [5], those defects are collectively classified as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome [6] (FAS) representing the more severe defects. FAS is defined by preand post-natal growth retardation [7], minor facial abnormalities, and deficiencies in the central ne...