Module 3: Risk Factors for FASD
Maternal Drinking Patterns
Determining how much alcohol is dangerous to a developing fetus is a complex issue.
Many factors influence peak BACs. These include the amount and pattern of alcohol use.
It can take several hours for the alcohol from one drink to pass through the fetus back to
the mother.
Differences in drinking patterns can be crucial in determining the effects of alcohol use during pregnancy. For example, drinking four or more drinks in about 2 hours ("binge drinking") can be more harmful than drinking one drink per day for 4 days. Binge drinking exposes the fetus to considerably higher peak BACs than drinking one drink at a time. This binge drinking increases the risk of alcohol-related damage.
Although binge drinking can be more harmful, continuous alcohol use during pregnancy can also be
damaging. Certain factors have been associated with different consumption patterns.
The table summarizes risk factors associated with heavy maternal drinking and FASD.
Risk Factors Associated With Heavy Maternal Drinking and FASD
|
Influential Element
|
Maternal Risk Factor
|
|
Health
|
Older than 30 when child is born
Has three or more children when child is born
Uses other drugs, including tobacco and illicit substances
Has experienced alcohol-related physical problems
|
|
Socioeconomic status (SES)
|
Low SES
Social transience
Unemployment or marginal employment
Work in male-dominated occupation
|
|
Drinking pattern
|
Long history of drinking
Frequent binge drinking
Frequent drinking, such as every day or every weekend
High BAC
No reduction in drinking during pregnancy
|
|
Psychological profile
|
Low self-esteem
Depression
Sexual dysfunction
|
|
Family social traits
|
Heavy drinking by a family member
Heavy drinking by the woman's male partner
Tenuous marital status (cohabitation, never married, separated, or divorced)
Loss of children to foster or adoptive placement
|
|
Local culture and community
|
Relatively tolerant of heavy drinking
|
Sources: Adapted from National Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism. 2000. Issues in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention. Tenth Special Report to the U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health.Bethesda, MD:
National Institutes of Health; Stratton, K.; Howe, C.; and Battaglia,
F., eds. 1996. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Diagnosis, Epidemiology, Prevention,
and Treatment. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; Abel, E.L. 1998. Fetal Alcohol Abuse Syndrome.New York: Plenum Press.
Jacobson, J.L.; Jacobson, S.W.; and Sokol, R.J. 1996. Increased vulnerability to alcohol-related birth defects in the offspring of mothers over 30. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 20(2): 359-363.
|
