Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in Adults: Signs, Lifelong Effects and Prevention
Fetal alcohol syndrome is permanent brain and body damage produced by alcohol crossing the placenta during pregnancy, and the effects continue into adulthood as cognitive, physical and mental health impairment.
Alcohol use disorder reaches beyond the person drinking. Fetal alcohol syndrome, shortened to FAS, develops when a woman drinks while pregnant.
Alcohol crosses the placenta and reaches the fetus, and the damage lasts for the rest of that person’s life. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that no amount of alcohol is safe at any stage of pregnancy, which applies to women with alcohol use disorder and to women who drink socially.
What Is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?
Fetal alcohol syndrome is one subtype of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and it produces developmental delay, permanent cognitive and developmental disability, and low birth weight.
There are 3 defining effects of fetal alcohol syndrome:
- Developmental delay
- Permanent cognitive and developmental disability
- Low birth weight
The most recognizable physical sign of fetal alcohol syndrome is a smooth philtrum. The philtrum is the pair of raised vertical ridges between the upper lip and the nostrils, and a child affected by fetal alcohol syndrome lacks those ridges.
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy also deprives the fetus of oxygen and of nutrients that development requires, and an unborn child lacks the enzyme capacity to break alcohol down. Some complications of fetal alcohol syndrome respond to treatment, and others last for life.
What Does Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Look Like in Adulthood?
Fetal alcohol syndrome produces effects that extend far beyond the neonatal months, and an adult with fetal alcohol syndrome lives with physical, neurological and mental health symptoms permanently.
Some effects of fetal alcohol syndrome are visible just after birth. Others appear later and persist through adulthood.
What Are the Physical Signs of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?
The physical signs of fetal alcohol syndrome are delayed growth, short stature, organ damage, weakened bone tissue, a small head circumference, small eyes, a thin upper lip, a low nose bridge and a smaller jaw.
Alongside the smooth philtrum, there are 9 physical signs and birth defects of fetal alcohol syndrome:
- Delayed growth
- Short stature
- Damage to internal organs
- Weakened bone tissue
- Small head circumference
- Small eyes
- Thin upper lip
- Short, low nose bridge
- Smaller jaw
The scope and severity of fetal alcohol syndrome vary between children. Some children develop every sign listed above, and others develop a few of them. The facial signs and the neurological damage share one cause, prenatal alcohol exposure, which is why they appear together.
What Are the Neurological and Mental Health Effects?
Fetal alcohol syndrome damages the central nervous system, producing developmental delay, learning disability, brain damage and hearing loss, and those effects are as disabling as the physical signs.
Babies born with fetal alcohol syndrome experience developmental delay. The neurological deficits that follow include brain damage and hearing problems.
Children with fetal alcohol syndrome require special care. Some children attend mainstream public schools, and other children require an individualized education plan, or IEP, as part of special education.
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Children with fetal alcohol syndrome experience significant learning disabilities. Fetal alcohol syndrome raises the risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which presents as hyperactivity and impulsivity. Children with fetal alcohol syndrome have difficulty completing tasks, and social difficulty makes friendships harder to form.
Fetal alcohol syndrome raises the risk of mental health conditions in later life. The risks include depression, anxiety and substance use disorder, covering prescription drug use, illicit drug use and alcohol use.
Severity varies as it does with the physical complications. Some children with fetal alcohol syndrome show no noticeable neurological or mental health complications. Other children require support for the rest of their lives.
How Is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevented?
Fetal alcohol syndrome is entirely preventable, and prevention means no alcohol at any point in a pregnancy.
The symptoms and complications of fetal alcohol syndrome are permanent, so prevention is the only effective response. Women ask how much alcohol is safe to drink during pregnancy, and the answer from the CDC and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is none.
A woman who is pregnant or planning to become pregnant needs a plan to stop drinking. That applies to women who drink socially as much as to women with alcohol use disorder.
There are 5 steps that support abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy:
1. Tell People About the Decision to Stop Drinking
Telling other people creates accountability. A woman who tells caregivers, friends and family that she is stopping alcohol gains their support and their encouragement, and that accountability is what sustains abstinence through a pregnancy.
2. Keep Alcohol Out of the House
Prenatal alcohol exposure produces secondary disabilities that last a lifetime, so removing alcohol from the home removes the opportunity to drink. Household members who still want a drink go out for it. Health professionals advise on the changes that make a home environment support abstinence.
3. Avoid Situations Where Alcohol Is Present
Early pregnancy is the point to stop attending events where alcohol is served. Parties, sporting events and concerts that previously involved drinking are the occasions to skip for a while. Reducing exposure to alcohol reduces temptation.
4. Replace the Social Drink
A non-alcoholic drink already in hand stops other people offering alcohol at a party. Mocktails, which are cocktails made without alcohol, and fruit smoothies both serve that purpose.
5. Build Other Self-Care Routines
People who drink socially to unwind after a long day need another way to reach the same state. A massage or a spa visit replaces that function. A healthcare provider confirms which activities are safe during pregnancy.
Where Can a Pregnant Woman Get Help to Stop Drinking?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists inpatient and outpatient treatment options for women who want to stop drinking during pregnancy, and a primary care doctor makes the referral.
Inpatient and outpatient programs build the skills that sustain abstinence, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism publishes further government resources alongside them.
A primary care doctor is the first point of contact and refers a woman to a mental health treatment center where she needs more support.
Where Can You Get Alcohol Use Disorder Treatment in Tampa?
Riverside Recovery of Tampa treats alcohol use disorder in Tampa, Florida, and builds each treatment plan around the individual, including plans that support abstinence through a pregnancy.
The effects of alcohol reach every organ system. Riverside Recovery of Tampa customizes a treatment plan that supports abstinence from alcohol and improves quality of life, and the clinical team has treated women who are pregnant.
NIH, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism–Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
- Moore, E. M., & Riley, E. P. (2015). What Happens When Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Become Adults?. Current developmental disorders reports, 2(3), 219–227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40474-015-0053-7
- Interagency Coordinating Committee on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. “Recognizing Alcohol-Related Neurodevelop[…]lth Care of Children.” November 2, 2011.
