What it is:
- A congenital syndrome caused by consumption of alcohol by the mother during pregnancy
- Symptoms of someone with FAS include retardation of mental development and physical growth, especially showing in the skull and face of the infant
Causes:
- When a pregnant woman consumes alcohol, it is passed across the placenta and directly to the fetus
- The body of the fetus doesn’t process alcohol the same way as an adult’s body does
- The alcohol becomes more concentrated in the fetus and can prevent enough nutrition and oxygen from getting to all the organs
- Consumption of alcohol at any time during pregnancy is harmful to the child
- Ways to prevent this syndrome are to avoid alcohol completely during pregnancy
