FASD Awareness

During Pregnancy No Amount of Alcohol Is Safe – Not A Single Drop

 

Published: Friday, August 31, 2012 5:04 PM EDT

 

Medina County, OHIO – When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, so does her unborn child. Each year, nearly 40,000 children are born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). It is the leading known cause of preventable birth defects.

 

FASD can cause serious:

 

•Mental challenges

•Behavioral Challenges

• Physical Challenges

 

The ninth day of the ninth month is a reminder to women to abstain from alcohol during all nine months of pregnancy.

 

“FASD is 100 percent preventable,” Pam Shank, RD, LD, CLC said. “Women who are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant need to know that no amount of alcohol is safe – not a single drop.”

 

Drinking alcohol during pregnancy has increased. The following are statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health for pregnant women 15-44 years of age:

 

•10.6 percent reported drinking alcohol while pregnant

•4.5 percent reported binge drinking, which is four or more drinks in a row

•0.8 percent reported heavy drinking

• Binge drinking during the first-trimester of pregnancy more than doubled in comparison to the previous survey