Detroit- The Developmental Disabilities Institute at Wayne State University is joining the cause to increase awareness of the risks of drinking alcohol while pregnant. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Surgeon General advises pregnant women and women who are considering becoming pregnant to abstain from alcohol consumption to eliminate Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs), which describe a range of effects that can happen to a fetus when a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy. It is estimated that 40,000 babies are born each year with FASDs.

When a pregnant woman drinks alcoholic beverages, alcohol in her blood passes to the baby through the placenta and the umbilical cord -- when a woman drinks alcohol, so does her baby. There is no known safe amount or type of alcohol to drink during pregnancy. There is also no safe time to drink during pregnancy, including before a woman knows she is pregnant. FASDs can impact children's physical, mental, behavioral or cognitive development. The most recognized condition along the continuum of FASDs -- fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) -- is characterized by growth deficiencies, central nervous system disabilities and specific facial characteristics and is the most preventable form of intellectual disability. According to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of children born with FAS alone is comparable to spina bifida or Down syndrome.

To prevent FASDs, a woman should not drink alcohol while she is pregnant or if she might be pregnant. This is because a woman often does not know she is pregnant for up to four to six weeks after conception. In the United States, nearly half of all pregnancies are unplanned. If a woman is drinking alcohol during pregnancy, it is never too late to stop drinking. Because brain growth takes place throughout pregnancy, the sooner a woman stops drinking the safer it will be for her and her baby.

Human service organizations, health care professionals and the public are called to action to work together to reduce the occurrence of FASDs by increasing awareness, becoming educated and improving public health efforts about the message that women who are pregnant or who might be pregnant should abstain from alcohol. 

For more information on alcohol use during pregnancy and FASDs, visit www.cdc.gov/fasd or http://ddi.wayne.edu/FASD.php.

"Pregnancy and alcohol don't mix. Why take the risk?"

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering more than 370 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 28,000 students.