Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a birth defect which is 100 percent preventable. Is there a safe amount that women can drink while pregnant? How much alcohol Drinking during pregnancy can result in a child being born with a range of disorders known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), the most severe of which is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

FAS is the leading known preventable causes of mental retardation and birth defects. Fetal alcohol syndrome is a lifelong condition that causes many physical and mental disabilities, including abnormal facial features, growth deficiencies and central nervous system problems. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is an umbrella term for a wide range of effects of a child whose mother drank alcohol during the pregnancy. FASD is used to describe conditions that occur in individuals who have been diagnosed with some, but not all, of the symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome.

Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders who do not have the facial abnormalities associated with FAS, for example, can still have mental retardation and disabilities just as severe as those who have the classic facial signs of fetal alcohol syndromeFetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are completely preventable. If a woman does not drink alcohol during pregnancy, her child will not develop FAS defects. Women who drink should stop immediately if they plan to get pregnant or find out that they are pregnant.

Women who drink heavily should take measures to prevent becoming pregnant, because they may not realize they are pregnant for several weeks or more.

Women who become pregnant and find that they have difficulty in trying to stop drinking can seek help from their healthcare provider, a drug and alcohol treatment program or a support group such as Alcoholics Anonymous.