Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Essay -- Pregnancy Alcohol Birth Defects Essays

Fetal alcoholic beverage Syndrome Fetal intoxicant Syndrome... is the name presumptuousness to a group of physical and kind birth defects that ar the come in result of a womans swallow alcohol during gestation.Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a series of mental and physical birth defects that can include mental retardation, growth deficiencies, central aflutter system dysfunction, craniofacial abnormalities and behavioral maladjustments. Fetal Alcohol Effect is a slight severe set of the same symptoms. only communities nationwide, and especi all(prenominal)y high-risk women in their childbearing years, need better schooling about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy. But most health care providers are unfamiliar with and untrained in the issues of substance abuse among pregnant women. FAS/fuel-air explosive is widely misdiagnosed and under diagnosed and less than 10% of medical schools require students to shade a course on the proper diagnosis and referral of individuals w ith alcoholism and different drug addictions.Statistics study found that doctors appear less likely to name a black woman to furlough drinking and smoking during pregnancy than they are to tell a white woman. Pregnant black women were xxx percent more likely than white women to report that they had never been told to quit drinking. (The New York Times,January 19, 1994)If you drink wine, beer, or liquor when you are pregnant, your baby could disclose FAS. A baby with FAS can suffer from mental retardation, central nervous dysfunction, organ dysfunction and facial abnormalities. These disabilities will last a lifetime. No amount of alcohol has been proven safe to consume during pregnancy. FAS and FAE (Fetal Alcohol Effects) are 100% preventable when a pregnant woman abstains from alcohol.In 1991, The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that FAS is the leading cognize cause of mental retardation. At least 5,000 infants are born each(prenominal) year with FAS, o r approximately one out of every 750 racy births. Thirty to forty percent of babies whose mothers drink heavily throughout pregnancy oblige the Syndrome. FAS/FAE is a problem found in all races and socio-economic groups. FAS and FAE are widely under diagnosed. Some experts believe amidst one third and two-thirds of all children in special education have been affected by alcohol in some way.FAS/FAE produces irreversible physical, mental and emotional effects. Behav... ... mother is non an alcoholic, her child may not be spared the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. Cognitive performance is less affected by alcohol exposure in infants and children whose mothers stopped drinking in early pregnancy, despite the mothers resumption of alcohol use after(prenominal) giving birth. One analysis of 6 year-olds, with demonstrated effects of second-trimester alcohol exposure, had lower academic achievement and problems with reading, spelling, and mathematical skills. Approximately 6 p ercent of the manifestation of alcoholic women have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) the FAS risk for offspring born after an FAS sibling, is as high as 70 percent. Those diagnosed as having Fetal Alcohol Syndrome had IQ scores ranging from 20-105 with a mean of 68. Subjects too demonstrated poor concentration and attention. People with FAS demonstrate growth deficits, geomorphological abnormalities, mental retardation, and behavioral difficulties. Secondary effects of FAS among adolescents and adults include mental health problems, disrupted schooling (dropping out or being suspended or expelled), trouble with the law, dependent living as an adult, and problems with employment.