Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is Preventable
By
S Pillai
More information on the study and fetal alcohol syndrome are available at SciGuru.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=S_Pillai
If you are pregnant and drinking. Beware. Your baby may be in
danger. When a pregnant mother drinks alcohol, baby may develop both
psychological and physical problems. Babies may show decreased cognitive
abilities, delayed development and varying physical problems including
poor growth, small eyes and small head. When such problems are observed
in babies when pregnant mother had consumed alcohol, the condition is
called fetal alcohol syndrome.
A new study as reported in a science news magazine shows that little progress has occurred for early detection or treatment of fetal alcohol syndrome. "Although there is a lot of research in the field to determine how alcohol acts on the developing brain, there is not much translation into the clinic," said Sahar Ismail, one of the authors of the research published in a recent edition of Developmental Neuroscience.
The effects seen in fetal alcohol syndrome can be dramatic and irreversible. Alcohol is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation, according to the study.
When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, alcohol is passed from the blood of the mother to the fetus through the umbilical cord, which connects the fetal blood circulation with maternal blood. Therefore, to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome in the babies, women are not advised to drink while pregnant. Women also should not drink alcohol if they are planning to become pregnant.
Children of mothers who had alcohol while pregnant are unlikely to have normal brain development. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can also result in miscarriage or premature birth. Even in the absence of fetal alcohol exposure, premature babies may face severe health problems. Alcohol use has been shown to be most harmful during the first trimester of pregnancy.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the Government of the United States, there is no safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant. There is also no safe time during pregnancy to drink and no safe kind of alcohol. This could be the reason why CDC urges pregnant women not to drink alcohol any time during pregnancy.
The best way is to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome is to avoid drinking alcohol while pregnant.
A new study as reported in a science news magazine shows that little progress has occurred for early detection or treatment of fetal alcohol syndrome. "Although there is a lot of research in the field to determine how alcohol acts on the developing brain, there is not much translation into the clinic," said Sahar Ismail, one of the authors of the research published in a recent edition of Developmental Neuroscience.
The effects seen in fetal alcohol syndrome can be dramatic and irreversible. Alcohol is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation, according to the study.
When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, alcohol is passed from the blood of the mother to the fetus through the umbilical cord, which connects the fetal blood circulation with maternal blood. Therefore, to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome in the babies, women are not advised to drink while pregnant. Women also should not drink alcohol if they are planning to become pregnant.
Children of mothers who had alcohol while pregnant are unlikely to have normal brain development. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can also result in miscarriage or premature birth. Even in the absence of fetal alcohol exposure, premature babies may face severe health problems. Alcohol use has been shown to be most harmful during the first trimester of pregnancy.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the Government of the United States, there is no safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant. There is also no safe time during pregnancy to drink and no safe kind of alcohol. This could be the reason why CDC urges pregnant women not to drink alcohol any time during pregnancy.
The best way is to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome is to avoid drinking alcohol while pregnant.
More information on the study and fetal alcohol syndrome are available at SciGuru.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=S_Pillai
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