Just as alcohol cannot be related to driving, nor to pregnancy. It is a toxic substance that crosses the placenta and passes the fetus whose tissues and organs are forming and can affect its development. In fact, Alcohol consumption in pregnancy is the second cause of mental disorder, after Down syndrome.
This was stated by Francisco Pascual, medical advisor of the Federation of Rehabilitated Alcoholics (FARE) in the framework of the presentation of a manual on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which provides information to prevent alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
It is often believed that a glass every now and then is allowed, but the reality is that it is not known for sure how much alcohol can affect the fetus. It depends a lot on each woman and even moderate consumption is harmful, so the general recommendation is not a drop of alcohol in pregnancy.
One in every thousand babies is born with malformations due to the mother's alcohol consumption, while one in a hundred may suffer serious alterations, even when the latter is moderate.
Babies who have been exposed to alcohol during pregnancy can suffer from the so-called fetal alcohol syndrome, a disorder that causes irreversible physical and mental injuries. These children also have very characteristic features such as a low implantation of ears, flat nose, small eyes, thin upper lip and inward chin.
Alcohol consumption in pregnancy is the second cause of mental disorder, after Down syndrome, with the difference that the latter is caused by a genetic failure, while the former can be avoided.
