Fetal Alcohol

Syndrome
By: Tiffany Emry

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)~ a pattern of birth

defects such as learning, and behavioral problems
that affects an individual whose mother drank
alcohol while pregnant.

How much alcohol does it take to cause

FAS?
According to Dr. Mary Harding and Dr. Hayley Willacy, FAS and FASD
only occur in babies born to mothers who drink alcohol during
pregnancy. It is not known exactly how much alcohol is safe in
pregnancy. Heavy drinking and binge drinking are more likely to cause
damage to the baby. Not every mother who drinks heavily in pregnancy
has a baby with FAS.

patient.info/health/fetal-alcohol-syndrome-leaflet

Who can be affected by FAS?

FAS is independent of ethnicity, gender, or race of an individual.
Individuals from different backgrounds exposed to similar amounts of
alcohol during pregnancy can show different symptoms of FAS,
depending on the degree of alcohol use. CDC shows FAS occurs in .5 to
2 per 1,00 live births in the United States.

What causes FAS?

Cause of FAS is use of alcohol during pregnancy. FAS is not hereditary or
genetic. The father can not cause FAS. Some individuals who are
exposed to alcohol during pregnancy may not have signs or symptoms
of FAS.

Signs and Symptoms of FAS

If you adopted a child or consumed
alcohol during pregnancy and are
concerned that your child may
have FAS, watch for characteristics
of the syndrome, which include:

epilepsy
poor coordination motor skills
poor socialization skills
poor imagination or curiosity
poor memory
behavioral problems
Birth weight is low
Head is small
Unable to thrive

Treatment
FAS is irreversible, there is no cure but there is treatment that can reduce the
symptoms. A person that has FAS can see specialists such as:

~ Pediatrician- Provides medical care to infants, children, and

teenagers.
~ Speech Therapist- voice rehabilitation.
~ Pediatric clinical care doctor- monitors and treats children in
intensive care.
~ Maternal fetal medicine specialist- focuses on medical
management of high risk pregnancies.
~ Psychiatrist- treats mental disorders primarily with medications.
~ Primary care provider (PCP)- prevents diagnoses and treats
diseases.
~ OBGYN doctor- focuses on reproductive health in women and
childbirth.

https://youtu.be/Oxy3qoKD0I8

Work Cited

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=701&q=FAS+pictures&oq=FAS+pict
ures&gs_l=img.3..0l2j0i5i30j0i8i30l2.447.36242.0.36621.20.17.3.0.0.0.278.2682.2j8j6.16.0....0...1.1.64.img..1
.16.2399.yVoh58Xa6Cw#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=FAS+&imgrc=TcgdLOeb9JVC6M%3A

http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HWRC/hits?docNum=DU2601000536&aci=flag&tcit=1_1_0_1_0_1&index=BA&loc
ID=lom_accessmich&rlt=1&origSearch=true&t=RK&s=1&r=d&secondary=false&o=&n=10&l=d&searchTerm=2NTA&c=4&basi
cSearchOption=KE&bucket=ref&SU=FAS

http://kidshealth.orghttp://kidshealth.org/en/parents/fas.html/en/parents/fas.html

patient.info/health/fetal-alcohol-syndrome-leaflet