Causes of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders:
FASD is nonhereditary; alcohol causes neuronal damage and cell loss in the fetal brain through direct action as a toxin. No prenatal period has been shown to be safe from the deleterious effects of alcohol. CNS damage may result from alcohol exposure in any trimester, even before the time of a pregnancy test. Women should be advised not to drink from the time of conception to birth.
Resources
Additional information about FASD and FAS is available online at the following Web sites:
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
http://fascenter.samhsa.gov
• National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fas
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Diagnostic and Prevention Network
http://depts.washington.edu/fasdpn
• National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
http://www.nofas.org.
