"Women of childbearing age who drink alcohol should consider their pattern of drinking. As a precaution, experts recommend taking some steps to ensure this doesn't happen. Of course, some women may inadvertently drink alcohol when they do not realize they are pregnant. "The potential for fetal harm increases as maternal alcohol consumption rises."Ī recent survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one in 10 women in the United States consumes alcohol while pregnant and 3 percent have admitted to binge drinking - consuming four or more alcoholic drinks at a time. "Harmful effects are well documented related to moderate or greater and to binge drinking," the report says. But the Pediatrics report notes that there is no consensus on what level of drinking may be considered safe. Some studies have found children suffer no measurable harm if mothers consume one or two drinks a week while pregnant. "Even though fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are the most commonly identifiable causes of developmental delays and intellectual disabilities, they remain significantly under-recognized," Williams said. While early recognition and intervention can improve a child's health, the researchers say a lack of uniformly accepted diagnostic criteria for fetal alcohol-related disorders limits these efforts. "A baby's brain and central nervous system is exquisitely vulnerable to what we call teratogens - things that can cause damage - and alcohol is one of them." Jennifer Wu, an OB-GYN at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York who was not involved in the report, told CBS News. "What we are finding now is that even small amounts of alcohol can increase the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome," Dr. Prenatal alcohol exposure is also associated with higher incidence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and specific learning disabilities such as difficulties with mathematics and language, visual-spatial functioning, information processing and memory skills. Known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, these conditions are lifelong and can include structural or functional problems with the brain, heart, bones and spine, kidneys, vision and hearing. The American Academy of Pediatrics says the b.
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