Because no amount of alcohol is proven safe, women should stop drinking immediately if pregnancy is suspected. This exposure typically occurs when a pregnant person drinks alcohol, and it enters the fetus’s bloodstream through the umbilical cord. To diagnose someone with FAS, the doctor must determine that they have abnormal facial features, slower than normal growth, and central nervous system problems.

How is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) diagnosed?

All alcoholic drinks, including wine and beer, have a similar effect on a developing baby. Although there is no treatment for FAS, there are strategies that can improve its symptoms. If you are consuming alcohol and trying to become pregnant or you are currently pregnant, reach out to a healthcare provider for help quitting. There is significant variability in symptom range and severity in each domain in individuals with an FASD.

Risk factors

There are currently five types of FASD, including FAS, diagnosed by prenatal alcohol exposure, craniofacial dysmorphology, growth impairment, and neurodevelopmental problems. Neurobehavioral disabilities in FASD include deficient global intellectual ability and cognition, and poor behavior, self-regulation, and adaptive skills. These domains should be measured using standardized testing, which often cannot be administered until after three years of age. Any alcohol consumption can affect a developing fetus, and you don’t have to have an alcohol addiction for your drinking to have impacts, says Dr. Uban.

Symptoms in adults

The U.S. surgeon general also recommends abstaining from alcohol if you’re trying to conceive. If you’re currently pregnant, it’s never too late to stop drinking—reach out to a healthcare provider if you need help quitting alcohol. An estimated 50–90% of people with FASD are also diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and many other people have secondary mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety.

During the first three months of pregnancy, important stages of development happen with the face and organs such as the heart, bones, brain and nerves. Drinking alcohol fetal alcohol syndrome during this time can cause damage to how body parts develop. And as the baby continues to develop in the womb, it’s damaging to drink at any time during pregnancy.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Assessment

• These are called secondary effects because they’re not part of FAS itself.
• A doctor may also look at physical health and signs of FAS, such as smaller-than-expected head size and height and abnormalities in facial features.
• Fetal alcohol syndrome is one of four disorders that comprise fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).
• This means that some people with mild symptoms of FASD might never be diagnosed.

How Boston Children’s approaches FAS