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 pregnant is anything but a trivial gesture. As a precaution, we repeat it tirelessly, the “zero alcohol during pregnancy” is law. Every year, it is this slogan or rather this message that is at the heart of the campaign launched by Public Health France on World Cancer Awareness Day. fetal alcohol syndrome, every September 9 . 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 syndrome, a 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. At last, the brain is sensitive to alcohol throughout pregnancy. However, even today, these consequences are underestimated or unrecognized by future parents.
What are the consequences of alcohol during pregnancy on the baby’s health?
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.
“No alcohol during pregnancy”
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.