Overview

Fetal alcohol syndrome is a condition in a child that results from alcohol exposure during the mother's pregnancy. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause the child to have disabilities related to behavior, learning and thinking, and physical development. The symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome vary from child to child but are lifelong.

Fetal alcohol syndrome is on the severe end of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). FASD is a range of conditions in the child caused by the mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy.

There is no amount of alcohol that's known to be safe to drink during pregnancy. If you drink during pregnancy, you place your baby at risk of fetal alcohol syndrome.

If you suspect your child has fetal alcohol syndrome, talk to your doctor or other healthcare professional as soon as possible. Early diagnosis and treatment may help lessen some issues.

Symptoms

The severity of fetal alcohol syndrome symptoms varies. Some children have far greater problems than others do. Symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome may include any mix of issues with how the body develops; thinking, learning and behavior; and functioning and coping in daily life.

Physical development issues

How the body develops may include:

  • Facial features that are typical of fetal alcohol syndrome. These may include small eyes, a very thin upper lip, a flat nose bridge, and a smooth skin surface between the nose and upper lip.
  • Slow physical growth before and after birth.
  • Delayed development, including taking longer to reach milestones, such as sitting, talking and walking.
  • Vision or hearing problems.
  • Smaller than average head and brain size.
  • Changes with how the heart, kidneys and bones develop.
  • Poor coordination or balance.
  • Being jittery or hyperactive.

Learning and thinking issues

Learning and thinking may include:

  • Intellectual disability and learning disorders, including trouble with memory, learning new things, focusing and thinking.
  • Not understanding the results of choices made.
  • Poor judgment skills, such as having a hard time thinking through issues, problem-solving, reasoning and making decisions that affect everyday life.
  • Short attention span that affects staying with a task and finishing.
  • Poor concept of time, that impacts following schedules, knowing what time to leave in order to arrive on time and understanding how long a task will take.
  • Trouble with organizing and planning or working toward a goal, including trouble understanding and following directions.

Social and behavioral issues

Functioning in everyday life, coping and interacting with others may include:

  • Challenges in school with attendance, learning, behavior and interacting with others.
  • Trouble getting along with others, including struggling with communication and social skills.
  • Trouble adapting to change or switching from one task to another.
  • Issues with behavior and with controlling emotions and actions.
  • Problems managing life skills, such as telling time, self care, managing money and staying safe.
  • Being easily influenced by others or taken advantage of.
  • Quickly changing moods.

When to see a doctor

If you are pregnant and can't stop drinking alcohol, ask your obstetrician, primary care doctor or other healthcare professional for help. You also may choose to talk to a mental health professional. A social worker can direct you to community programs that offer help, for example, Alcoholics Anonymous.

Because early diagnosis may help lessen the risk of some challenges for children with fetal alcohol syndrome, let your child's healthcare professional know if you drank alcohol while you were pregnant. Don't wait for your child to have issues before seeking help.

If you adopted a child or are providing foster care, you may not know if the biological mother drank alcohol while pregnant. International adoption from some countries may have a higher rate of alcohol use by pregnant mothers. If you have concerns about your child's learning or behavior, talk with your child's healthcare professional to find out what might be causing these problems.

Causes

When you're pregnant and you drink alcohol:

  • Alcohol goes into your bloodstream. Inside the womb, the placenta provides oxygen and nutrients to a developing baby. The alcohol reaches your baby by passing through the placenta.
  • Alcohol causes a higher blood alcohol level in your developing baby than in your body. That's because a baby breaks down and gets rid of alcohol slower than an adult does.
  • Alcohol is toxic to the baby's cells. Exposure to alcohol before birth can harm how the body develops and cause permanent brain damage in the developing baby.

The more you drink while pregnant, the greater the risk to your unborn baby. But any amount of alcohol puts your baby at risk. Your baby's brain, heart and blood vessels begin to develop in the early weeks of pregnancy, before you may know you're pregnant.

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 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.

Risk factors

The more alcohol you drink during pregnancy, the greater the chance of problems in your baby. There's no known safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy, and there's no type of alcohol that is safe.

You could put your baby at risk even before you realize you're pregnant. Don't drink alcohol if:

  • You're pregnant.
  • You think you might be pregnant.
  • You're trying to become pregnant.

Complications

Behavior issues after your child is born can result from having fetal alcohol syndrome. These are called secondary disabilities and may include:

  • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
  • Aggression, improper social behavior, and breaking rules and laws.
  • Alcohol or recreational drug misuse.
  • Mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety or eating disorders.
  • Challenges staying in or completing school.
  • Not being able to get along with others.
  • Challenges with independent living and getting and keeping jobs.
  • Sexual behaviors that are not proper.
  • Early death by accident, homicide or suicide.

Prevention

To prevent fetal alcohol syndrome, don't drink alcohol during pregnancy.

Here are some steps to help:

  • Don't drink alcohol if you're trying to get pregnant. If you haven't already stopped drinking, stop as soon as you know you're pregnant or if you even think you might be pregnant. It's never too late to stop drinking during your pregnancy. The sooner you stop, the better it is for your baby.
  • Don't drink alcohol at any time during your pregnancy. Fetal alcohol syndrome is completely preventable in children whose mothers don't drink at all during pregnancy.
  • Consider giving up alcohol during your childbearing years if you're sexually active and you're having unprotected sex. Many pregnancies are unplanned, and damage from alcohol can happen in the earliest weeks of pregnancy.
  • If you have an alcohol problem, get help before you get pregnant. Talk to your healthcare professional or a mental health professional about your drinking. Review how much and how often you drink alcohol so that together you can create a treatment plan to help you quit.
By Mayo Clinic Staff