On the occasion of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness Day, which is held on September 9, it is more than necessary to remind expectant mothers of the risks they incur by drinking alcohol during their pregnancy. What happens to a simple glass of wine in the body of a pregnant woman? What are the effects of alcohol on the baby? We take stock of the risks and recommendations.
Drinking alcohol when you are pregnant is anything but trivial. As a precaution, we repeat it tirelessly, the “zero alcohol during pregnancy” is law. Every year, in September, it is this slogan or rather this message which is at the heart of the awareness campaign launched by Public Health France. And for good reason, the consumption of alcohol can have serious consequences on the fetus and its health. In some cases, we speak of fetal alcohol syndromea disease that represents the leading cause of non-genetic mental disability. Preventing, informing and repeating constantly is therefore still just as necessary, all the more so when the number of affected newborns is still high: 15,000 children are born each year in France with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?
When the pregnant woman drinks a glass of wine or a spirit, for example, the alcohol passes into the blood of the future baby. the alcohol syndrome fetal manifests itself during excessive consumption, by growth abnormalitiesof the facial abnormalities and central nervous system damage likely to lead to mental retardation. Not to mention the other risks such as “learning or memory disorders, responsible for school difficulties, cognitive and behavioral disorders”, specifies a report of themedical academy. Finally, the brain is sensitive to alcohol throughout pregnancy. However, even today, these consequences are underestimated or unrecognized by future parents.
| Alcohol consumption during pregnancy remains the leading cause of psychomotor retardation in France. Indeed, when you drink, alcohol is directly transmitted to your baby via the bloodstream, that is to say from the maternal blood to the fetal blood via the placenta which does not filter it. In other words, the fetus consumes practically the same quantity of alcohol as its mother! |
Alcohol and pregnancy: what consequences on the health of the baby?
Alcohol is toxic to the nervous system and brain of the fetus. “Consuming alcohol during pregnancy is toxic to the fetus and can lead to various complications (growth retardationcentral nervous system disorders, malformations…), of which the fetal alcohol syndrome is the most severe form“, recalls Public Health France. Thus, whatever the stage of pregnancy, for daily consumption, even low, there are risk of complications. During pregnancy, alcohol can also be responsible, in some cases, for miscarriages or malformations, recalls theassociation SAF France. After birth, fetal alcohol can cause on baby:
- a risk of prematurity
- growth retardation
- visual and hearing impairment
- eating disorders
“Alcohol is a toxic teratogen (which causes malformations), which very easily crosses the placenta and damages the baby’s developing cells, especially those of the brain”, Explain Denis Lamblin, president of the SAF France association. “In most cases, the disorders are not visible on the baby who has just been born, but appear later, at the time of entry into nursery or school.sometimes even later, when the brain becomes more mature, around 6-8 years old”, he adds. Thus, between the ages of 5 and 14, children have a greater risk of attention disorders and may experience social breakdown and difficulty organizing or learning. Finally, the disorders caused by fetal alcohol would have repercussions even until adolescence with psychological effects and an increased risk ofalcoholism or drug addiction. Therefore, the greater your daily consumption, the greater the risk of the child having sequelae.
Women underestimate the risks
Yet despite the risks associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy and prevention campaigns, nearlyone in four pregnant women would continue to drink alcohol, specified in 2016 Gilles Crépin, professor of medicine and member of the National Academy of Medicine. The latter distinguishes two kinds of alcoholism, each as dangerous as the other for the health of the newborn: chronic alcoholismsimilar to consumption before pregnancy, and accidental consumption (binge drinking). The doctor also reminds that a mother-to-be must limit her alcohol consumption to a zero tolerance, as well as the consumption of tobacco or drugs. Pointing to a lack of prevention on the subject, the Academy of Medicine for its part wishes that women of childbearing age as well as health professionals and the general public are better informed and made aware of these risks.
“Zero alcohol during pregnancy”: the key word
To make you aware of the risks, remember that when you drink, baby clink glasses with you ! Even if you only drink one glass a day, or occasionally, your consumption is not insignificant and can have real consequences on your pregnancy and on the child to be born. As we do not know precisely the threshold below which the consumption of alcohol is not dangerous for the child, the best solution is still to abstain throughout the pregnancy.
| As a reminder, since 2006 a health message has been affixed to alcoholic beverages, either by a pictogram or by the message “Pregnancy = Zero alcohol”. Furthermore, the deviceAlcohol Info Service” (0 980 980 930) allows the people concerned to discuss freely and 7 days a week with a professional able to guide them, listen to them and answer their questions. Finally, prevention campaigns are broadcast each year in order to limit the risks and raise awareness among future mothers. |
Pregnancy and alcohol: received ideas persist
Rightly, one can wonder how prevention messages against alcohol during pregnancy are they seen by pregnant women? A serious survey conducted in 2017 among 40 future mothers who exchanged views on six discussion forums, including that of the Journal des Femmes, looked into the question. Results :
A subject that makes people react
Nearly 40% of discussion content focuses on alcohol use in early pregnancy. “I took a drunk without knowing that I was pregnant”, specifies for example Caro. If some are justified by the fact that they were not yet aware of their pregnancy, and “that we must continue to live”, “that there is no reason to freak out”, others feel guilty all the same by worrying about the consequences for the baby’s health. And then there are those who rely on family experience to justify their consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. “My sister-in-law’s sister drank alcohol for the first 4 months of her pregnancy (including several heavy drinks) and gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby girl,” says Maelle.
Many received ideas
Furthermore, according to the study, this ignorance of the risks seems recurrent and there are still too many misconceptions. For Lola, the “0 alcohol is theoretical” and according to Océane, “it’s just in the fourth month that you really have to limit alcohol because the exchanges are more intense with the placenta“. Other Internet users, on the contrary, seem to be well aware of the risks, and in particular the fetal alcohol syndromeor even the risks of dependence for the child, once they reach adulthood. “Women negotiate risk based on their knowledge and beliefs and perceived norms“, comments the study. According to the survey, future mothers who talk to each other to find answers to their questions, rely mainly on their gynecologist to ease their worries or anxieties following alcohol abuse. important occasion during their pregnancy.The specialist, who is thus often quoted during the discussions, would have on the whole a rather reassuring speech. “The majority of gynecologists avoid alarmist discourse and seem to tolerate deviations from the ‘Zero alcohol during pregnancy’ standard, which reassures pregnant women and leads them to confide more”, says the study. Finally, nearly a third of future mothers still agree to some deviations from the Zero Alcohol recommendation, for “to please yourself” and “avoid frustration”. The study recommends prevention campaigns on the risks of API in women planning to become pregnant, with training for health professionals in contact with women of childbearing age. Campaigns targeting women aged 50 and over, “would also deserve to be implemented in view of the crucial role played by mothers”, states the report. Finally, “the dangers of alcohol during pregnancy should be included in school curricula, thus avoiding the transmission of erroneous knowledge from generation to generation”.