WHY ZERO ALCOHOL DURING PREGNANCY?

Dr. Claude Allouche, gynecologist WHY ZERO ALCOHOL DURING PREGNANCY?
Ahuza Clinic, Ra'anana, Israel
058 726 02 64

Alcohol consumed by a pregnant woman passes very quickly into the blood of the fetus.
It can be responsible for a delay in the acquisition of language, writing, fine motor skills, behavioral disorders, but in addition, in the event of heavy consumption, serious malformations and growth retardation.

As soon as you are pregnant, stop all alcohol consumption.

ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION DURING PREGNANCY: WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

Whatever the dose drunk, the alcohol ingested by a pregnant woman passes almost entirely into the blood of the fetus.

This can have irreversible effects on the baby. Most often, when alcohol consumption is moderate, it is learning disorders (writing, reading, fine motor skills, etc.), adaptation and behavior (hyperactivity, aggressiveness, etc.) called disorders caused by fetal alcohol syndrome (FASD).

In other cases, in case of heavy alcoholism, the child has fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), with severe developmental abnormalities, for example:

- facial anomalies: short nose, thin upper lip, small and recessed chin, narrow eyelid slits, low and badly hemmed ears...;

- growth retardation also affecting the skull (insufficient head circumference);

- behavioral and/or cognitive disabilities (mental retardation, dyslexia, oral language disorders, dyspraxia, memory and attention disorders), observed in nearly 50% of cases;

- more frequent organ malformations (nervous system, heart, bones, etc.).


Absorption of alcohol is harmful throughout pregnancy and no threshold has ever been demonstrated below which the risks are zero, hence the recommendation "0 alcohol during pregnancy".

According to data from the 2017 Health Barometer, alcohol consumption during pregnancy is not uncommon in France. Indeed, among the women interviewed, pregnant at the time of the survey or mothers of a child under the age of 5:

- Nearly 6 out of 10 women said they had been informed of the risks of alcohol consumption by the doctor or midwife following them or having followed them.
- 1 in 10 said they had consumed alcohol occasionally during their pregnancy.
- A breastfeeding woman who drinks alcohol transmits it to her baby through her milk. This can have adverse effects on sleep and child development.

Hence the recommendation of zero alcohol during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

The fetus can't order cocktails yet, so it's better for the expectant mother to go without glasses of alcohol during her pregnancy!

 

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Source: https://www.ameli.fr