Maternal Alcohol Use During Pregnancy

Alcoholusein the first 3 months ofpregnancycan cause the baby to have abnormal facial features. Growth and central nervous system problems (for example, low birthweight, behavioral problems) can occur fromalcoholuseanytimeduringpregnancy.

These are ambitious, large-scale analyses that reveal complex associations. Exposure tomaternalheavyalcoholuseis measured asmaternalhospital treatment foralcoholattributable diagnoses, or prescriptions foralcoholdependence in the year before orduringpregnancy, oralcoholattributable diagnoses in the fetus or newborn.

Alcoholconsumptionduringpregnancycan influence fetal development, causing lifelong behavioral, intellectual, and physical impairments known as fetalalcoholspectrum disorders (FASDs)—fetalalcoholsyndrome (FAS) being the most severe type. 1 Conservative estimates indicate that up to one in 20 U.S. schoolchildren may be affected by ...

As we can see from the illustration, Maternal Alcohol Use During Pregnancy has many fascinating aspects to explore.

The risks involved withalcoholuseduringpregnancyDrinkingalcoholwhile pregnant is a leading cause of birth defects in a fetus. Everything a mother drinks also goes to the fetus.Alcoholis broken down more slowly in the immature body of the fetus than in the body of an adult. This can cause thealcohollevels to remain high and stay in the baby's body longer. The risk of miscarriage and ...

Alcoholand SubstanceUseDuringPregnancyPrenatal substanceusedisorder happens when an expectant motherusesdrugs and/oralcohol, significantly increasing the risk for developmental and neurological disabilities in the developing fetus.

In this factsheet, we examine how SubstanceUseDisorder (SUD)duringpregnancy—includingalcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and opioids—affectsmaternaland infant health, highlights high rates of co-occurring mental health conditions, gaps inpregnancy-specific treatment, and the importance of integrated obstetric, mental health, and addiction care to improve outcomes for mothers and babies.