Alcohol Use During Pregnancy: The Effects on a Fetus

By Makisa Vimalanathan

We all know and understand the risks of alcohol use and addiction, but what about the risks and effects of alcohol use during pregnancy? This brief article will study and examine some of the health effects on a fetus when the mother carrying the child uses alcohol during the pregnancy stage. A woman who consumes any variety of alcohol during a term pregnancy may harm the developing fetus (baby).  The alcohol that is consumed while pregnant can pass from the pregnant mother’s blood into the fetus’s developing blood and body.

Why is alcohol use during pregnancy dangerous? 

Consuming alcohol during pregnancy can be detrimental to a fetus’s health and overall development. Drinking alcohol at any point throughout pregnancy can induce serious health difficulties and obstacles for the fetus. Alcohol consumption can be anything from wine, mixed drinks, and beer. Alcohol consumed by a pregnant woman can be passed from the mother’s blood all the way to the fetus’s umbilical cord. 

Alcohol Consumption on the Developing Fetus

    Consuming alcoholic substances while being pregnant can cause many different dangerous problems such as stillbirth, miscarriage, and a range of lifelong physical, and intellectual disabilities for the fetus. These conditions are identified as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDS). 

    Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can affect a developing fetus because the alcohol from the mother’s blood will promptly pass through the placenta and the umbilical cord connected to the mother into the fetus. Any amount of alcohol during pregnancy can harm and alter a developing fetus’s brain, organs, and features. The numerous dangers for children with FASDs include abnormal facial features, low body weight, small head size, poor coordination, poor memory, sleep or sucking problems as a baby, vision problems, hearing defects, and problems with developing bones, heart and other organs.

Statistics of Alcohol Consumption during Pregnancy

    Research reveals and records that the number of pregnant women using and drinking alcohol is on the rise during these recent years, despite the information of the health risks and connections from alcohol. A brand-new report from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention shows a statistic that about 1 in 9 women drink alcohol throughout their pregnancy in the United States. In this same study, about 4% of pregnant women have admitted to binge drinking more than four drinks at one time.

Keeping your Fetus Safe  

    If you are pregnant or even starting to try for pregnancy, you should avoid drinking alcohol. There is absolutely no known safe quantity or time to consume alcohol use during pregnancy. All varieties of alcohol are equally harmful to a growing fetus such as beers, wines, and low-alcohol-containing beverages. 

    

    If you are struggling with alcohol addiction, make sure to tell your health care provider if you need help to quit alcohol during pregnancy. A common misunderstanding is that it is okay to drink during the late steps of pregnancy, but this is not accurate since a baby’s brain and other systems are still too immature for alcohol.

Sources: 

1. “Alcohol during pregnancy” (https://www.marchofdimes.org/pregnancy/alcohol-during-pregnancy.aspx)

2. “Do You Need to Stop Drinking While You're Trying to Conceive?” (https://www.verywellfamily.com/drinking-when-trying-to-conceive-4118991)

3. “Alcohol Use in Pregnancy” (https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/alcohol-use.html)

4. “Alcohol Effects on a Fetus” (https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-topics/tk3598)

5. Image from “Dangers of Alcohol During Pregnancy (Safety & Effects)” (https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcoholism-treatment/dangers-pregnancy)

6. Image from “Alcohol During Pregnancy” (https://www.nflwc.com/blog/entry/alcohol-during-pregnancy)