Alcohol during pregnancy adversely affects the level of IQ of the unborn child

For several decades, drinking alcohol during pregnancy was condemned. As soon as a conscious woman learned about the interesting situation, she immediately stopped her former life with parties and a feast. However, to give up a glass of wine is easier for those who used to be cool with alcohol, and this is very much for mother alcoholics.

Neurological studies are disappointing

Some pregnant women consider a strong desire to drink a mug of beer to whims. But if you think that alcohol in small doses does not affect pregnancy in general, you are deeply mistaken. Neurological studies of young children, whose mothers drank different amounts of alcohol, revealed a number of behavioral and physiological abnormalities. And the most terrible of them is known as fetal alcohol syndrome.

What causes alcohol during pregnancy in high doses?

Mothers with a borderline personality disorder caused by alcoholism can not abandon the addiction themselves. Often these women are not protected from unwanted pregnancy and find out about their situation too late. After registering for pregnancy, they swear to doctors that they have nothing to do with alcohol, and at first really try to limit the number of drinks. Unfortunately, toxins and carcinogens have already done their dirty work. Their children are very easy to distinguish among others in appearance. Fetal alcohol syndrome has a great influence on the appearance of babies. Their faces are flat, the eyes are narrow, the lips are thin, and the nose is too short. In addition to defects in appearance, mental and mental development of children with alcoholics suffers. Children with FAS have a small head, are poorly educated, unable to make decisions and communicate normally with their peers. Often their growth is slowed down, as is intellectual development.

Pathologies of the development of the nervous system

For some children with fetal alcohol syndrome, in 1999, after a comparative meta-analysis of several scientific studies, a more correct term - "disorder of the development of the nervous system" was derived. Scientists define this ailment as the lesser of two evils, but many of the symptoms inherent in FAS remain in this case. They add motor disorders, as well as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Pathologies of the development of the nervous system were noted in children whose mothers drank moderately during pregnancy. To the category of moderately drinking women can be attributed, consuming one or two drinks a day for several weeks in a row.

Some statistics

It is curious that a disorder of the development of the nervous system is more often noted in children whose mothers are moderately drunk during pregnancy women over 30 years of age. But mothers under 30 years were more fortunate. Young women who drink mildly during pregnancy have a chance to give birth to a child without a pronounced pathology. Children from this category are most difficult to read and arithmetic. But tests on the level of intelligence, as a rule, do not reveal mental retardation.

The intensity of drinking also matters

Scientists have determined that the amount of alcoholic beverages also has an effect on the fetus. For example, if a pregnant woman came to a party and decided to break medical contra-indications by drinking six glasses of wine, this dose may become critical for a baby in the womb. If the future mother decides to drink the same six glasses of wine, but one every week, then the baby's health will be less damaged.

What leads to moderate consumption of alcohol?

The most recent study in this area is the experiment of British scientists who identified the impact of moderate alcohol consumption on the fetus. Mothers, whose children took part in the study, drank a liter of beer for a short period of time of pregnancy. The findings of the study will be of interest to those who do not consider a single departure from the rules of grave sin. Eight years later, the children of these mothers, along with the children of women who observed a dry law during pregnancy, passed a test for the level of intelligence on the Wexler scale. It was found that the children of mothers who once allowed themselves a little beer showed inferior results in comparison with peers whose mothers were convinced teetotalers.

What is better: a gifted child or a kid with impulsive behavior, distracted attention, always distracted by trifles? The choice is for women.