09/09/2021
Are you planning a pregnancy or are already pregnant?
This might strike your interest..
Do you know about FASD?
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder caused by prenatal alcohol exposure (consumining alcohol during pregnancy) resulting in irreversible consequences for the unborn child, for instance brain developmental deficiencies, behavioral disorders, growth deficiencies and facial deformities (1). Drinking during pregnancy might also be a risk factor for other adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, including miscarriage and stillbirth (1).
Mothers of children diagnosed in the FASD spectrum reported drinking levels ranging from mild to excessive (‘binge drinking’) alcohol use (3).
However this condition is a completely preventable when women do not take alcohol during the pregnancy(5).
References
1. Updated Clinical Guidelines for Diagnosing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. H. Eugene Hoyme et al, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-4256
2. Systematic literature review on which maternal alcohol behaviours are related to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) et al Sylvia Roozen, 2018. http://bmjopen.bmj.com
3. Consumption of Alcohol Beverages and Binge Drinking Among Pregnant Women Aged 18–44 Years; United States, 2015–2017 lark H. Denny et al, 2019.
4. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Implications for Primary. Care Nurse Practitioners
Susan A. Albrecht et al, 2019.
5. A systematic review of prevention interventions to reduce prenatal alcohol exposure and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in indigenous communities Martyn Symons, 2018.
