Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a condition that causes physical and mental disorders in children whose mothers drank alcohol heavily during pregnancy. FAS is characterized by abnormal facial features, growth retardation, and central nervous system problems. Individuals with FAS may have difficulties with learning, memory, attention span, problem solving, speech, and hearing. They can also have problems in school and problems getting along with others. FAS is an irreversible, lifelong condition that affects every aspect of an individual’s life and the lives of his or her family.
For more information, see the tip sheet on Alcohol Use and Pregnancy.
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About one out of 1,000 live-born infants in the United States has FAS. Two to three times that many are born with an alcohol-related developmental disorder, but they do not have any obvious physical abnormalities.
Most people with FAS will never be able to live independently. It has been found that 60% of those 12 years of age and older have been kept out of school at some point; 60% have been in trouble with the law; 50% have been confined; and 50% have exhibited inappropriate sexual behavior.
Yes. FAS is completely preventable. However, because alcohol-related damage to the fetus occurs early in pregnancy, a developing fetus can be damaged before the mother knows she is pregnant. Therefore, women should avoid drinking if they are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or at risk of becoming pregnant (i.e., sexually active but not using an effective form of birth control). Children with FAS can have serious, lifelong disabilities, including mental retardation, learning disabilities, and serious behavioral problems. They are at high risk for psychiatric problems, criminal behavior, unemployment, and incomplete education. These disabilities are very serious, yet some positive factors have been identified to help individuals with these problems. For example, early diagnosis allows for enrollment of the child in appropriate educational classes and provides access to social services that may benefit the child and his or her family.
Children with FAS who receive special education are more likely to achieve their developmental and educational potential. In addition, children with FAS need a loving, nurturing, and stable caretaking environment in order to avoid disruptions, transient lifestyles, or dysfunctional relationships. Individuals with FAS who do not experience abusive households or become involved in youth violence are much less likely to develop secondary conditions than children with FAS who have had such negative experiences.
Individuals with FAS can have serious lifelong complications, including mental retardation, learning disabilities, and serious behavioral problems. Although there is no cure for FAS, individuals with the condition can be helped if the syndrome is properly diagnosed, if it is diagnosed early, and if the children are given appropriate special care.
John is 21 years old and has FAS. He wants to live independently. However, because of his disabilities, he cannot function as an adult. His mother always has to be nearby to look out for him. He has the social skills, conscience, and emotional development of a child. He cannot drive because he could not pass a driver’s test. He cannot handle money and so he cannot go to the store alone. Because of his brain damage, he has poor judgment, short-term memory problems, and problems controlling his impulses. He gets into trouble often, and this frustrates and angers him. He worries that he will get arrested and end up in jail. John also worries about what will happen when his mother is no longer able to watch out for him. (This is a true story. To read more about John’s life, visit his Web site, FASSTAR).
There is no known safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy or while trying to get pregnant. There is also no safe time during pregnancy to drink. All types of alcohol are equally harmful, including all wines and beer. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her baby.
Women also should not drink alcohol if they are sexually active and do not use effective contraception (birth control). This is because a woman might get pregnant and expose her baby to alcohol before she knows she is pregnant. Nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned. Most women will not know they are pregnant for up to 4 to 6 weeks.
FASDs are completely preventable if a woman does not drink alcohol during pregnancy. Why take the risk?
Alcohol in the mother’s blood passes to the baby through the umbilical cord. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and a range of lifelong physical, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities. These disabilities are known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Children with FASDs might have the following characteristics and behaviors:
There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant.
There is no safe time to drink alcohol during pregnancy. Alcohol can cause problems for the developing baby throughout pregnancy, including before a woman knows she is pregnant. Drinking alcohol in the first three months of pregnancy can cause the baby to have abnormal facial features. Growth and central nervous system problems (e.g., low birthweight, behavioral problems) can occur from drinking alcohol anytime during pregnancy. The baby’s brain is developing throughout pregnancy and can be affected by exposure to alcohol at any time.
If a woman is drinking alcohol during pregnancy, it is never too late to stop. The sooner a woman stops drinking, the better it will be for both her baby and herself.
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Maternal prenatal alcohol use is one of the leading preventable causes of birth defects and developmental disabilities. Children exposed to alcohol during fetal development can suffer a wide array of disorders, from subtle changes in I.Q. to profound mental retardation. They can also suffer growth retardation in varying degrees and be born with birth defects of major organ systems.
The rate of “risk drinking” (seven or more drinks per week or five or more drinks on one occasion) during pregnancy remains high. Approximately one in 30 pregnant women in the United States engages in “risk drinking.” One of the most severe effects of drinking during pregnancy is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), which includes abnormalities in three areas at the same time – disorders of the brain, growth retardation, and facial malformations. For more information, see the tip sheet on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
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More than half of all women of childbearing age in the United States report that they drink alcohol. Also, more than 50% of pregnancies are unplanned. Alcohol consumed during the first three to eight weeks of pregnancy, when many women do not know they are pregnant, can subtly or profoundly affect the organ development of the embryo, depending on the amount consumed. Although early pregnancy is a particularly vulnerable time, damage to the fetus’ developing organ systems can occur throughout pregnancy as a result of continued alcohol exposure.
Women consuming alcohol who are pregnant or could become pregnant are at risk of having an alcohol-exposed pregnancy. Every year in the United States, more than 130,000 women are at risk of having a baby exposed to alcohol in the womb. Women who drink regularly or binge drink and who do not use effective contraception are at highest risk of having a baby with FAS or other alcohol-related condition.
The good news is that prenatal alcohol exposure is completely preventable. Any woman who is pregnant or could become pregnant should avoid drinking alcohol. To reduce prenatal alcohol exposure, prevention efforts should target not only pregnant women who are currently drinking, but also women who could become pregnant, are drinking at high-risk levels, and engaging in unprotected sex. These women are also at risk of having an alcohol-exposed pregnancy.
Healthcare providers should routinely talk to women who are pregnant, planning to get pregnant, or could become pregnant about their alcohol use and advise women on the dangers of drinking in general and during pregnancy. Asking questions about alcohol use can present a challenge for providers since women who drink and already have children are often reluctant to seek help because they fear they will lose custody of their children if they admit using alcohol.
Jill, who already has two children, drinks alcohol at home in the evenings and on weekends, sometimes heavily. She finds out that she is pregnant again. Although Jill is aware that alcohol might affect her pregnancy, she is not quite sure how her baby could be affected by alcohol, or how much is too much. There are a number of reasons why she feels that she doesn’t want to or can’t stop drinking (i.e., she suffers from depression; she denies she has a drinking problem; she cannot control her drinking), so she doesn’t ask for help. She continues to drink frequently during her pregnancy (drinking at least seven drinks a week), or binge drinks (drinking at least five drinks on one occasion) on the weekends. She first learns about FAS when her baby boy is born showing physical signs of FAS (i.e., low birth weight, small head, facial abnormalities). She finds that her child will need special care throughout his life and will have problems in school and in relating to other people. She now says that if she had known how serious the consequences of her drinking could be for herself, her family, and her affected child, she would have sought help to stop drinking.
A: The most important thing is that you have completely stopped drinking after learning of your pregnancy. It is never too late to stop drinking. Because brain growth takes place throughout pregnancy, the sooner you stop drinking the safer it will be for you and your baby.
If you drank any amount of alcohol while you were pregnant, talk with your child’s health care provider as soon as possible and share your concerns. Make sure you get regular prenatal checkups.
A: Drinking any type of alcohol can affect your baby’s growth and development and cause FASDs. This includes all wines, beer, and mixed drinks. A standard drink is defined as .60 ounces of pure alcohol. This is equivalent to one 12-ounce beer or wine cooler, one 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80 proof distilled spirits (hard liquor). Some drinks, like mixed alcoholic drinks or malt liquor drinks, might have more alcohol in them than a 12-ounce beer. There is no safe kind of alcohol. If you have any questions about your alcohol use and its risks to your health, talk to your health care provider. You can also visit CDC’s website on alcohol.
Go to the Information for Women page for a picture of the types of standard-sized drinks and the amount of alcohol they contain.
A: There is no known safe amount of alcohol use during your pregnancy or when you are trying to get pregnant. There is also no safe time to drink when you are pregnant. Alcohol can cause problems for your developing baby throughout your pregnancy, including before you know you are pregnant.
FASDs are completely preventable if a woman does not drink alcohol during pregnancy—so why take the risk?
A: Every pregnancy is different. Drinking alcohol might affect one baby more than another. You could have one child who is born healthy and another child who is born with problems.
A: If you drank any amount of alcohol while you were pregnant, talk with your child’s health care provider as soon as possible and share your concerns.
You may not know right away if your child has been affected. FASDs include a range of physical and intellectual disabilities that are not always easy to identify when a child is a newborn. Some of these effects may not be known until your child is in school.
There is no cure for FASDs. However, identifying and intervening with children with these conditions as early as possible can help them to reach their full potential.
A: You might be pregnant and not know it yet. You probably won’t know you are pregnant for up to 4 to 6 weeks. This means you might be drinking and exposing your baby to alcohol without meaning to.
Alcohol use during pregnancy can also lead to miscarriage and stillbirth.
The best advice is to stop drinking alcohol when you start trying to get pregnant.
A: If you drink alcohol and do not use contraception (birth control) when you have sex, you might get pregnant and expose your baby to alcohol before you know you are pregnant.
Nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned. And many women do not know they are pregnant right away. So, if you are not trying to get pregnant but you are having sex, talk to your health care provider about using contraception consistently.
A: FASDs are not genetic or hereditary. If a woman drinks alcohol during her pregnancy, her baby can be born with an FASD. But if a woman has an FASD, her own child cannot have an FASD, unless she drinks alcohol during pregnancy.
A: How alcohol affects the male sperm is currently being studied. Whatever the effects are found to be, they are not fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). FASDs are caused specifically by the mother’s alcohol use during pregnancy.
However, the father’s role is important. He can help the woman avoid drinking alcohol during pregnancy. He can encourage her to abstain from alcohol by avoiding social situations that involve drinking. He can also help her by avoiding alcohol himself.
A: If you cannot stop drinking, contact your doctor, local Alcoholics Anonymous, or local alcohol treatment center.
Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has a treatment facility locator. This locator helps people find drug and alcohol treatment programs in their area.
Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.)
Alcoholics Anonymous® is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. Locate an A.A. program near you.
A: If you think your child might have an FASD, talk to your child’s doctor and share your concerns. Don’t wait!
If you or the doctor thinks there could be a problem, ask the doctor for a referral to a specialist (someone who knows about FASDs), such as a developmental pediatrician, child psychologist, or clinical geneticist. In some cities, there are clinics whose staffs have special training in diagnosing and treating children with FASDs. To find doctors and clinics in your area visit the National and State Resource Directory from the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS).
At the same time as you ask the doctor for a referral to a specialist, call your state or territory’s early intervention program to request a free evaluation to find out if your child can get services to help. This is sometimes called a Child Find evaluation. You do not need to wait for a doctor’s referral or a medical diagnosis to make this call.
Where to call for a free evaluation from the state depends on your child’s age:
Source: CDC
