Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - Research Paper Example

? Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Introduction: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) According to Tenenbaum et al , “Maternal exposure to alcohol during pregnancy can lead to a wide range of clinical manifestations in their offspring, termed fetal alcohol spectrum disorder”(Tenenbaum et al. 2011, p.725). FAS is growing day by day in America because of the changing life styles of the people, especially that of the pregnant females. Alcoholism during pregnancy may affect not only the physical and mental health of the pregnant women, but also that of the fetus. In fact alcoholism during pregnancies causes more damages to the fetus than to the mother. The resistive power of the fetus to overcome the challenges raised by the ingredients of alcohol is negligible. Plenty of children in America are currently struggling because of the health problems they suffered due to the drinking habits of their mothers during pregnancy. “Although much progress has been made in understanding the consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure, challenges still remain in properly identifying all affected individuals as well as their individual patterns of alcohol-induced deficits”(Warren et al. 2011, p.4). The purpose of this paper is to create awareness among the pregnant women about the consequences of their drinking habits during pregnancy. Since many children are struggling not because of their faults but because of the crazy life styles of their mothers, legal actions should be taken against the mothers of the children who are struggling with FAS. FAS: Background information Causes “When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, it easily passes across the placenta to the fetus. Because of this, drinking alcohol can harm the baby's development”(Fetal alcohol syndrome, 2011). Many pregnant women have the illusion that consumption of small amount of alcohol during pregnancy may not cause any harm to the fetus. But the fact is that there are no safe levels of alcohol use during pregnancy. Of course, binge drinking during pregnancy may cause more problems to the fetus, but even single peg of alcohol consumption can cause adverse effects on the fetus. Symptoms Poor growth while the baby is in the womb and after birth, Decreased muscle tone and poor coordination, Delayed development and problems in three or more major areas: thinking, speech, movement, or social skills, Heart defects, Problems with the face, including: Narrow, small eyes with large epicanthal folds, Small head, Small upper jaw, Smooth groove in upper lip, Smooth and thin upper lip etc are some of the major symptoms of FAS (Fetal alcohol syndrome, 2011). Many other problems facing by the current children during their childhood are believed to be caused by the drinking habits of their mothers during pregnancy. Treatments Effective treatments or cure for FAS are still not available. The best and only way to prevent FAS is to stay away from drinking habits at least during pregnancy. Even though medical science has advanced a lot, there is no medication or treatment available to eliminate or reduce FAS related problems. However, early diagnosis of FAS may help to give proper educational classes and essential social services to children with FAS. Early interventions found to be more effective in the management of FAS. Special care and attention should be provided to children with FAS to develop properly. It should be noted that FAS children may behave abnormally on many occasions. Patience and temperament from the parts of mothers, family members and the society are necessary to help the children to come out of FAS. Eaton, et al.(2011) pointed out that “As there is no cure for an FASD, preventive activities are currently the only successful approach to reduce the risk of an Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancy (AEP) through screening, education, or brief interventions of childbearing age women” (Eaton, et al. 2011, p.260). Recommendations for preventing FAS “Despite warnings by the U.S. Surgeon General and others, childbearing age women continue to drink at high levels, even in pregnancy” (Eaton, et al. 2011, p.260). In other words, many pregnant women are not taking the warnings of healthcare professionals against taking alcohol. Child bearing is a basic right for every woman. However, it should be noted that no woman has moral, ethical or legal right to deliberately engage in activities which may cause harm to their fetus. If it is impossible for the alcohol addict women to stay away from drinking, they should never try to conceive. It is responsibility of the mother to make sure that her fetus grows healthy during pregnancy. She should remember that life before pregnancy and during pregnancy are entirely different. During pregnancy, a woman should be willing to sacrifice something for the betterment her children. If she is not able to do so, better she may stay away from pregnancies. Penalties should be imposed for the mothers of children with FAS to reduce alcoholism during pregnancy. If found culprit of consuming alcohol during pregnancy, severe punishments should be given to the women. The right of a child to lead a healthy life in this world is violated by the women who drink during pregnancy. Under such circumstances, strengthening of laws to discourage drinking during pregnancies is inevitable. Conclusions Fetal alcohol syndrome is caused by drinking during pregnancies. Children with FAS may develop lot of physical, psychological and behavioral problems. No treatments are available to cure FAS related child problems. Only the management is possible in the case of FAS. Earl diagnosis and special care are necessary to manage FAS effectively. Pregnant women should completely avoid drinks as no safe level of drinking is possible during pregnancy. Those women who are not ready to avoid drinking habits should stay away from conceiving to avoid the birth of defective children. Since, drinking during pregnancies is increasing day by day, government should think about making laws to punish the mothers of children with FAS. Stern laws will force the mothers with drinking habits to stay away from alcoholism during pregnancy. Life is precious to all. Everybody has the right to lead a free life without causing any damages to others. A woman who drinks during pregnancy is knowingly causing problems to her child. If cruelties against children are punishable, drinking during pregnancy should be considered as the most serious offense. References Eaton, B. Gangluff, D. & Mengel, M. (2011). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: Flying under the radar. The Journal Of The Arkansas Medical Society 2011 May; Vol. 107 (12), pp. 260-2 Fetal alcohol syndrome. (2011). PubMed Health. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001909/ Tenenbaum A, Hertz P, Dor T, Castiel Y, Sapir A, & Wexler ID. (2011). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Israel: increased prevalence in an at-risk population. The Israel Medical Association Journal, 2011 Dec; Vol. 13 (12), pp. 725-9; Warren, K.R.; Hewitt, B.G.; Thomas, J.D. (2011). Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Research Challenges and Opportunities. Alcohol Research & Health, 2011, Vol. 34 Issue 1, p4-14, Read More