Effects of Alcohol and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Essay -- Alcohol Alcohol

Effects of Alcohol and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Works Cited Missing Alcohol plays a major role in society today. It is constantly being in our minds through advertisements, whether its commercials or billboards, holidays, or even just at the popular social scene. Alcohol is consumed for many purposes, such as celebrations, to increase romance, out of boredom, or a way to relax. Alcohol is a drug that is depended upon by the majority of our society. Nonetheless, alcohol has very damaging effects, not only does it cause self-inflicted diseases resembling alcoholism or cirrhosis of the liver, but it harms unborn fetuses as well. Many women drink alcohol when they do not even know that they are pregnant yet. Alcohol can cause disorders such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, FAS, is a congenital disorder which is characterized by a variety of physical and behavioral traits that result from maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. The term Fetal Alcohol Effects, FAE, indicates that alcohol is being considered as one of the possible causes of a patient's birth defects. In other words, FAE is a less severe form of FAS. Both FAS and FAE are the results of the use of teratogens, which are nongenetic influences that can potentially complicate fetal development.(Harris, p.85)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  FAS is due to the mother's consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. Alcohol in the woman's bloodstream circulates to the fetus via the placenta. There, the alcohol intrudes with the ability of the fetus to receive a sufficient amount of oxygen and nourishment for normal development in the brain and other body organs. The critical time for alcohol teratogenicity is around the time of conception. Effects of FAS/FAE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although alcohol is the only cause of FAS, there are unfortunately numerous effects. Infants with FAS may have a weak sucking response and an irregular sucking pattern early in life. Some doctors describe them as distracted and fatigued when sucking. Withdrawal symptoms such as prolonged twitching, jitteriness, sweating, and hyperactivity have also been reported in infants exhibited to alcohol before birth. (Timberlake and Birch, p.1)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prenatal alcohol exposure is one of the leading known causes of mental retardation in the United States. Mental retardation is usually mild to mode... ...st be an increase in the number of women who abstain from alcohol during their pregnancies. To reach that goal further research needs to continue. There must be an improvement in public health surveillance methods, a refinement in methods used for identifying children who have been affected by prenatal alcohol exposure, a demonstration in the effectiveness of primary prevention programs, and an investigation on the effectiveness of secondary intervention strategies, such as foster-care placement and special education strategies.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, p.4)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not all women who drink during pregnancy will have an infant with FAS or FAE, but if there is a 40-50% risk of harming the fetus, why chance it? Women should be more careful when drinking, because drinking often leads to sex even if it is not planned. The best prevention for FAS/FAE is to either abstain from sexual intercourse while consuming alcohol, or abstain from alcohol while planning a pregnancy. Therefore sexual partners should use birth control. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects are fully preventable and the responsibility lies within the role of being parents.