Prevention / Prenatal

What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder ?

FAS 1

FAS 2

  • FASD - a term that describes a range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol while pregnant
  • Effects may include physical, mental, behavioral, and/or learning disabilities with lifelong implications
  • The Disorders are permanent conditions however, specific conditions may be treatable or manageable
  • Not intended for use as a clinical diagnosis
  • Refers to conditions such as:
    • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
    • Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE)
    • Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND)
    • Alcohol-Related Birth defects (ARBD)

 

Each year, as many as 40,000 babies are born with an FASD. The cost to the nation for FAS alone is about $6 billion a year.

Routes of Administration

  • Pregnant women who drink Alcohol
  • FASD - is not caused by the biological father’s alcohol use

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

  • (FAS) is the term when discussing individuals born to mothers who drank during pregnancy

Facts on FASD

  • 100 %  preventable
  • Can occur anytime a pregnant woman drinks any type of alcohol
  • FASD is not caused by the biological father’s alcohol use

 

FAS 3

Babies diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) have the following physiological characteristics:

  • Small birth weight
  • Small head circumference
  • Small eye openings
  • Smooth, wide groove in upper lip
  • Thin upper lip

Babies who have some, but not all of these characteristics may be diagnosed with partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (pFAS).
Note: Facial characteristics may not be as apparent immediately after birth, during adolescence or adulthood as they are between the ages of two and ten. Facial characteristics may not be present at all if the mother did not drink alcohol during the brief period that the mid-face was forming - around the 20th day of pregnancy.

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