This week is National Alcohol and Drug-related Birth Defects Awareness Week and an important time to talk about why women should avoid alcohol while trying to conceive. While the majority of women already know the dangers 
of consuming alcohol while pregnant, many forget that early on, before you even know you are pregnant, your body is still vulnerable to the effects of alcohol.
The CDC now recommends that if you are planning to become pregnant to avoid consuming alcohol. By the time you find out you are pregnant it could be anywhere from 2-6 weeks along, and significant damage could have already occurred by this time.
Because there is no known safe amount of alcohol, the CDC recommends abstaining completely during any stage of pregnancy. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can lead to physical, behavioral and intellectual disabilities in a child known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). According to the CDC, there are three different classification FASDs depending upon the symptoms:
- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS): FAS represents the most involved end of the FASD spectrum. Fetal death is the most extreme outcome from drinking alcohol during pregnancy. People with FAS might have abnormal facial features, growth problems, and central nervous system (CNS) problems. People with FAS can have problems with learning, memory, attention span, communication, vision, or hearing. They might have a mix of these problems. People with FAS often have a hard time in school and trouble getting along with others.
- Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND): People with ARND might have intellectual disabilities and problems with behavior and learning. They might do poorly in school and have difficulties with math, memory, attention, judgment, and poor impulse control.
- Alcohol-Related Birth Defects (ARBD): People with ARBD might have problems with the heart, kidneys, or bones or with hearing. They might have a mix of these.
If you find that you are having a difficult time abstaining from alcohol while pregnant or trying to become pregnant, reach out to one of our specialists to help you get control of the situation quickly and help protect your developing pregnancy from FASD.
