Contents:
- Medical Video: What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?
- What is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)?
- Symptoms fetal alcohol syndrome in infants
- Causefetal alcohol syndrome
- Prospective fathers can also increase the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome
- The best way to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome
Medical Video: What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?
Eating alcoholic beverages while pregnant can cause babies to be born withFetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or fetal alcohol syndrome. FAS is one of several conditions included in the categoryFetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) or fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. This condition causes various physical symptoms, behaviors and learning difficulties. More clearly the FAS problem, see the explanation below.
What is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)?
Fetal alcohol syndrome is a syndrome characterized by mental and physical abnormalities. This is caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy. This disorder causes brain damage and growth problems in the fetus.
The severity caused by FAS varies with each child. Abnormalities caused by FAS cannot be cured. So, if you consume alcohol during your pregnancy, then you increase your risk of having your fetus experience FAS.
Symptoms fetal alcohol syndrome in infants
Symptoms that occur in a baby who has FAS include physical disability, nervous and brain system disorders, disturbances in thinking, and disorders in socializing.
Physical disability can include a typical facial appearance. Among these are small eyes, very thin upper lip, short and inverted nose, and smooth skin surface between the nose and upper lip. In some cases, abnormalities in the joints, limbs and fingers are also reported.
Physical growth of infants who experience FAS is slow, both before and after birth. Babies may have difficulty hearing or having other hearing problems. Disabilities in the heart, kidneys, bones, brain, and central nervous system can also occur due to FAS.
Disorders of the baby's brain and central nervous system are usually indicated by poor coordination or balance and delayed learning and development. Babies also tend to have weak memories, difficulty understanding something, and difficulty solving problems. Other symptoms are hyperactivity and mood changes.
As it grows, children who get FAS have a high probability of difficulties in learning at school, getting along with others, and adapting.
Causefetal alcohol syndrome
What happens when you get pregnant and drink alcohol? Alcohol will enter your bloodstream. From your bloodstream, alcohol will be absorbed by the developing fetus through the placenta. In fact, a fetus that is not fully developed cannot process alcohol in its body like an adult.
In addition, alcohol can interfere with the optimal delivery of oxygen and nutrients for your developing baby. That's why alcohol exposure before birth can harm the development of tissues and organs and cause permanent brain damage to your baby.
The more you drink alcohol during pregnancy, the greater the risk of your baby experiencing FAS. Especially if you drink alcohol during the first trimester. That's when the fetus is in the main development stage. However, the risk will continue throughout pregnancy.
Prospective fathers can also increase the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome
The cause of FAS is not only from pregnant women, but also from the father's influence. According to the study, as many as three out of four children diagnosed with alcohol spectrum disorders had a father who consumed alcohol.
Children with this disorder may have low birth weight, brain development disorders, and learning disabilities. The problem is, changes in genes in the body of a father who likes to drink alcoholic drinks can also be passed on to the child, even though the mother does not consume alcoholic beverages before or during pregnancy. So if the father also likes to consume alcohol before the fetus is formed, then chances are the child is born with symptoms of FAS.
The best way to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome
The more alcohol you drink during pregnancy, the more likely your baby has FAS. You can harm your baby before you even realize that you are pregnant. So to prevent FAS, you should not drink alcohol if you are pregnant or you are trying to get pregnant.
