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What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE)?

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the name given to a group of physical and mental birth defects that is the direct result of a woman's drinking alcohol during pregnancy. The mental and physical birth defects can include mental retardation, growth deficiencies, central nervous system dysfunction, craniofacial abnormalities, and behavioral maladjustments. Fetal Alcohol Effect is a less severe set of the same symptoms.

Ten Things You Need to Know*

1. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) occurs in babies when pregnant women consume alcohol.
   
2. FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation in newborns.
   
3. As many as 12,000 infants are born with FAS each year — with Down's syndrome, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
   
4. FAS causes permanent mental and physical damage.
   
5. Symptoms may not become obvious until a child is 3 or 4-years-old.
   
6. FAS is found in all races and all socio-economic groups.
   
7. There is no safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
   
8. Even one drink risks the health of an unborn baby.
   
9. There is no cure for FAS.
   
10. FAS is 100 percent preventable. Pregnant? Don't Drink. Period.

*Adapted from materials provided by the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

Fetal Alcohol Articles

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What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome? — Strategies for parents and caregivers of FAS and FAE children, (resources and statistics), by the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol.