Fetal Alcohol Disorders

Although it is hard for her to read and write, Katia Demchuk is not embarrassed. On the contrary, the teenager is determined to talk about her challenges in order to help others with similar problems. When she was a fourth grader she did just that, traveling from her hometown in Brunswick, Ohio, to Capitol Hill to tell lawmakers what life is like with fetal alcohol syndrome, or FAS. Demchuk wants to raise the public’s awareness of her condition and promote the understanding that drinking alcohol during pregnancy poses serious dangers to the fetus. What Are Fetal Alcohol Disorders? Fetal alcohol disorders are a spectrum of conditions that result from the effects of alcohol on an embryo or fetus during pregnancy. This array of conditions is more technically referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, or FASD. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the most severe of these disorders. Other less severe FASDs include partial fetal alcohol syndrome, alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder, and alcohol-related birth defects. Exposure to alcohol in the womb results in varying effects among individuals, which is one reason why FASD is a continuum of conditions. The type and severity of a fetal alcohol disorder also depends on the prebirth alcohol exposure. The amount and timing of drinking by a pregnant woman is an important factor in the type and severity of effects on her embryo or fetus, but no exact relationship has been determined. Nevertheless, there is no safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
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