Zero Drinking to Prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder | FASD – American Academy of Pediatrics
I was deeply troubled by the push back to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendation that women abstain from drinking alcohol during pregnancy to prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. [See American Academy of Pediatrics’ Clinical Report on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) published online 10-19-15].
The push back was the topic of Nancy Shute’s October 26, 2015, NPR Morning Edition story, “Why Do People Get So Bent Out of Shape About Drinking While Pregnant?”
American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Report: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders | FASD
American Academy of Pediatrics recommends zero drinking during pregnancy in order to prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
Quoting from this report:
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is the general term that encompasses the range of adverse effects associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. The diagnostic criteria for fetal alcohol syndrome are specific, and comprehensive efforts are ongoing to establish definitive criteria for diagnosing the other FASDs. A large and growing body of research has led to evidence-based FASD education of professionals and the public, broader prevention initiatives, and recommended treatment approaches based on the following premises:
- Alcohol-related birth defects and developmental disabilities are completely preventable when pregnant women abstain from alcohol use.
- Neurocognitive and behavioral problems resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure are lifelong.
- Early recognition, diagnosis, and therapy for any condition along the FASD continuum can result in improved outcomes.
- During pregnancy:
- no amount of alcohol intake should be considered safe;
- there is no safe trimester to drink alcohol;
- all forms of alcohol, such as beer, wine, and liquor, pose similar risk; and
- binge drinking poses dose-related risk to the developing fetus.
Push Back Comments to Zero Drinking During Pregnancy to Prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
For this I invite you to read the comment stream on Nancy Shute’s October 19 news report, “Pediatricians Say Absolutley No Drinking While Pregnant,” — the one that triggered the push back explosion.
Why I’m So Troubled
If the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends zero drinking during pregnancy based on new research findings, what possible reason makes sense to play Russian Roulette with FASDs – something that is 100% preventable – by choosing to drink? This is not in judgement of woman who chose to drink during pregnancy, based on previous medical understandings that an occasional drink during pregnancy was okay. It’s about people arguing the risk of imposing FASD on an unborn child is worth the risk given this new research.
As a person who has been studying the neuroscience of substance use disorders, stress, secondhand drinking and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder for over a decade, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of following the AAP recommendation. Risking the LIFETIME ramifications for one’s child, let alone the forever ramifications for an entire family when a child is born with FASD, in order to drink during pregnancy makes no sense.
As Janet Williams, a profession of pediatrics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, was quoted as saying in Ms. Shute’s article, “The choice is really between your desire to have a desirable effect from alcohol versus the risk of lifetime harm to the baby. That’s the choice.”
Please check out the Centers for Disease Control’s Facts About FASDs for more on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Lisa Frederiksen
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