Pregnancy Healthline FAQs
What are the effects of exposure to alcohol on my baby during pregnancy?
The effects of alcohol depend on several factors, the dose and the timing
in pregnancy when the exposure occurs. Like most things that are known to
effect the baby, alcohol is most damaging during early pregnancy. This is
the period when rapid development of the baby's organs takes place. Alcohol
also interferes with normal development of the fetal brain. The brain is the
first organ to form, and the last to complete development. (Brain development
continues after birth). The baby's growth can be effected from alcohol
exposure at any time during pregnancy.
The negative effects of alcohol may be magnified if the pregnant woman also smokes or uses substances such as cocaine.
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy may result in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). FAS is associated with several physical characteristics in the child, including small size, a specific facial appearance, tapering fingers or fingers that come to a point and varying degrees of learning disabilities or mental delay. Birth defects, particularly of the heart, can happen more often in children of mothers who regularly use alcohol.
Even if a baby does have FAS at birth, the subtle effects of alcohol exposure might not show up until years later in the form of behavioral problems, learning disabilities, and lower IQ scores. The child may have average or above average intelligence, but he or she could have been "smarter" if he or she had not been exposed to alcohol.
Alcohol effects women and babies differently. Each woman's individual chemical make-up, as well as the individual chemical make-up of the baby determines the effect. Research suggests that high blood alcohol levels in the mother are associated with alcohol related defects in the baby. Alcohol does pass the placenta and the baby is exposed to the same alcohol concentrations as the mother.
Some studies suggest that moderate drinking is associated with a doubled miscarriage rate. The miscarriage rate in the general population is 15-20%, the miscarriage rate for alcohol-exposed pregnancies is approximately 30-40%.
The baby will benefit if the mother stops drinking immediately. Stopping immediately will help the baby by preventing further exposure to alcohol. It is clear that the more one drinks and the longer into the pregnancy alcohol is consumed, the higher the risks for having a baby with some effect of prenatal alcohol exposure. Since the smallest "safe" amount of alcohol for a woman to drink during pregnancy is unknown, it is best to stop all alcohol immediately. If you need help to stop using alcohol, please contact your health care provider for immediate assistance.
References:
Centers for Disease Control (1997) Alcohol consumption among pregnant and
childbearing-aged women- U.S. 1991 and 1995. MMWR 46 (16): 346-350.
Human Teratogens Course, May 1997. Harvard Medical School. Joan M. Stoler,
MD Alcohol lectures.
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