Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FASyndrome, FAS)

Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (PFAS)

Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND)

Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) 

• Children with FASyndrome often suffer lifelong consequences from "in utero alcohol exposure," such as mental retardation, learning disabilities, and serious behavioral problems. (Center for Disease Control, CDC)

• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the leading known cause of mental retardation in western civilization (NIAAA, Eighth Special Report NIH Publication No. 94-3699).

• Although many individuals with FASyndrome have mental retardation, most individuals with FASyndrome have an IQ in the normal range. (1996 Center for Disease Control and Prevention study by Ann Streissguth)

• At least 5,000 infants are born each year in the U.S. with full FASyndrome, or approximately one out of every 750 live births. (American Medical Association)

• Each year in the U.S. between 35,000 and 50,000 babies are born with Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ARND) that will interfere with their ability to function in life. (March of Dimes) ARND affects one out of one hundred babies in North America, making alcohol the leading cause of brain damage today. (Teratology 1997 Nov;56[5]:317-26)

• Of all the substances of abuse, including heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, alcohol produces by far the most serious neurobehavioral effects in the fetus, resulting in life-long permanent disorders of memory function, impulse control and judgment. (Institute of Medicine Report to Congress)

• Persons with FASD have serious problems with attention deficits, impulse control, judgment, and memory. Although many of the physical characteristics associated with FASyndrome become less prominent after puberty, behavioral and emotional problems become more pronounced. (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism)

• Among children with FASD up to age 15, the social maturation process seems to be stunted at the level of a 6 year old child. (Alcohol Clin Exp Research, Vol. 22, No. 2, April 1998)

• Fewer than 10% of individuals with FASD are able to achieve success in living and working independently. (Center for Disease Control and Prevention study by Ann Streissguth)

• Over 50% of women of childbearing age drink alcohol. (American Medical Association) And only 39% of women of childbearing age even know what FAS is. (National Institute of Health)

• Recent CDC findings indicate that one in seven women of childbearing age (18 to 44 years of age) who report not being pregnant engage in "risk drinking.”  If a woman is pregnant and does not know it, these alcohol levels can pose a threat to the fetus. 

• From 1991 to 1995, CDC reported a fourfold increase in frequent (seven or more drinks per week) and binge (five or more drinks on any one occasion) drinking during pregnancy.  While the overall rate of any alcohol use (at least one drink) among pregnant women has declined since 1995; rates of frequent and binge drinking remain at high levels.

• About 20% of women who are known to be pregnant continue to drink during their pregnancy. (Journal of American Medical Association) The incidence of drinking during pregnancy has increased substantially in the past several years, possibly due to the misleading media message that a drink a day is healthy. (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC)

• Birth defects associated with prenatal alcohol exposure can occur in the first 3 to 8 weeks of pregnancy, before a woman even knows she is pregnant. (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)

• CDC estimates that more than 130,000 pregnant women per year in the United States consume alcohol at levels shown to increase the risk of having a baby with FAS or other alcohol-related condition.

• Women at highest risk of drinking during pregnancy include women who smoke, who are single, who are in college or have a degree, and women in households with incomes over $50,000. (Obstetrics and Gynecology Vol. 92, pp. 187-192, Aug. 1998)

• While only the mother's drinking can cause FASD, the father's drinking can lower testosterone levels, decrease healthy sperm, and increase the risk of disorders in offspring. Preliminary animal studies indicate that alcohol can damage the DNA in male sperm. (Paternal Exposure to Alcohol, Abel, 1992)

• The 10th Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health estimated the annual health care costs associated with FASyndrome to be $2.8 billion in 1998 (Center for Disease Control)...

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