Lesson 8

Birth Defects

We’ve discussed a number of negative consequences for a young woman who uses alcohol.
 
Next we’re going to focus specifically on the risk of alcohol in pregnancy, and the birth defects and developmental disabilities that alcohol use during pregnancy can cause.

Critical Periods of Development

Much of our physical development takes place during the first trimester of a pregnancy, and unfortunately many young women might not even know they are pregnant during this time period. That is why it is so important to think about making healthy decisions about your life, including whether you are ready to and wanting to become pregnant. It’s called “thinking preconceptually” or making decisions about becoming healthy before you even become pregnant. An important part of preconception health is avoiding alcohol and other drugs.
 
Another very important thing to notice about this critical periods chart is the top line of the chart: your central nervous system. Your brain is an important part of your central nervous system and begins developing day one of pregnancy and continues developing until the baby is born. We now know that there is never a safe time to expose that developing brain to alcohol. This means there is no known amount of alcohol that is safe to drink during pregnancy.

Type of Drug Exposure: Critical Periods of Development (6-7)

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

There are a wide range of birth defects and other developmental issues that alcohol use during pregnancy can create. There is an “umbrella term” that is used to describe this wide range of possible impacts called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders or FASD. A child that has been prenatally exposed to alcohol might be diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or FAS; partial FAS; Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND); or Neurodevelopmental Disorder - Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE).8 All of these terms refer to any of the developmental problems that alcohol use in pregnancy may create.

How is FASD Diagnosed?

When a young woman uses alcohol during her pregnancy, she exposes the developing fetus to a very dangerous substance. There are a number of problems that alcohol use during pregnancy can create.
 
The first set of problems are alcohol-related facial features, sometimes called facial “dysmorphia” or abnormal physical features.

How is FASD Diagnosed?

Remember the critical periods of development chart. During the period of facial formation in a fetus, exposure to alcohol can affect how the face is formed. It can significantly alter the upper lip (“thin upper vermilion”) and the shape of the eyes (“shortened palpebral fissures”) and the groove between the nose and the upper lip (“absent philtrum”). Alcohol use during pregnancy can quite literally be seen on the face of children who have been prenatally exposed.
 
Another very important impact of alcohol use during pregnancy is the effect on growth. Alcohol use by a pregnant woman puts her fetus at risk for growth retardation of head circumference, height, and weight. Alcohol use during pregnancy can create smaller babies born too early, along with the alcohol related facial features.
 
Finally, alcohol use during pregnancy can and does create alcohol related brain damage in a developing fetus. As we saw on the critical periods chart, the brain and central nervous system develop throughout pregnancy. Therefore, alcohol use at any time during a young woman’s pregnancy can be dangerous for the developing brain of the fetus.

Alcohol in Pregnancy and Impact on Development

Alcohol related brain damage can affect the development of a fetus in a number of ways. Physical health and motor development can be affected, behavior and social skills can be affected, and the ability to learn and achieve can be affected.

Alcohol Exposure Across the Lifespan

Alcohol related brain damage can affect the development of a fetus in a number of ways. Physical health and motor development can be affected, behavior and social skills can be affected, and the ability to learn and achieve can be affected.