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Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD): The Dangers of Drinking During Pregnancy

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Drinking alcohol prior to conception and during pregnancy can have significant adverse outcomes for the fetus, including miscarriage, premature birth or stillbirth. Fetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD) is known to be associated with persistent physical and neurodevelopmental abnormalities.

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Drinking alcohol prior to conception and during pregnancy can have significant adverse outcomes for the fetus, including miscarriage, premature birth or stillbirth. When a pregnant woman drinks, alcohol enters the fetus’s bloodstream via the placenta and may impact the development of the fetus’s brain or other organs. There is no known safe level of alcohol use during pregnancy, and it’s not possible to predict the extent to which a fetus will be affected by alcohol. For this reason, the safest option is to completely avoid alcohol prior to conception and during pregnancy. Fetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD) is known to be associated with persistent physical and neurodevelopmental abnormalities.

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Anne Watkins
Anne is a freelance lecturer and medical writer at Mind Body Ink. She is a former midwife and nurse teacher with over 25 years’ experience working in the fields of healthcare, stress management and medical hypnosis. Her background includes working as a hospital midwife, Critical Care nurse, lecturer in Neonatal Intensive Care, and as a Clinical Nurse Specialist for a company making life support equipment. Anne has also studied many forms of complementary medicine and has extensive experience in the field of clinical hypnosis. She has a special interest in integrating complementary medicine into conventional healthcare settings and is currently an Associate Tutor, lecturing in Health Coaching and Medical Hypnosis at Exeter University in the UK. As a former Midwife, Anne has a natural passion for writing about fertility, pregnancy, birthing and baby care. Her recent publications include The Health Factor, Coach Yourself To Better Health and Positive Thinking For Kids. You can read more about her work at www.MindBodyInk.com.
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Ausmed’s editorial team is committed to providing high-quality, well-researched and reputable education to our users, free of any commercial bias or conflict of interest. All education produced by Ausmed is developed in consultation with healthcare professionals and undergoes a rigorous review process to ensure the relevancy of all healthcare information and updates to changes in practice. If you have identified an issue with the education offered by Ausmed or wish to submit feedback to Ausmed's editorial team, please email ausmed@ausmed.com.au with your concerns.
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277 reviews by Ausmed Learners
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Colette Burnell
18 Oct 2021
Good
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Silika Kofe
23 May 2023
Registered Nurse
0
ZK
Zakaria Kitsos
11 Jul 2022
Community Care Worker
great resource, very informative
HG
Hadley Grace
26 Jan 2022
Good
BM
Brittany Morton
16 Nov 2021
Concise, easy to read.
ML
Maxine Lamb
09 Jul 2021
An interesting article.
RB
Rachel Barnes
08 Mar 2023
Registered Nurse
very thorough and precise
HC
Helen Clarke
06 Jul 2021
sadasdas
JB
Jake Bowman
07 May 2022
Occupational Therapy Student
Insight of FASD
MF
Mary Fletcher
10 Jul 2021
Excellent resource on foetal problems when alcohol is ingested.
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