Alcohol in pregnancy is a risk for the development of the fetus.

Alcohol always harms the fetus in the nine months but especially during the first weeks and last trimester of pregnancy.

It is not enough to limit it but, during the nine months, it would be better not to take it at all, even if at this time of the year toasts are the order of the day! Alcohol, in fact, is a toxic substance able to cross the placenta and reach the fetus at the same concentrations with which it was taken by the mother, endangering its development. This is why it hurts even in very small doses, because it can represent a serious risk to the health of the unborn child. This was supported by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Iss) which specifies that even drinking little but often, alcohol can have negative effects on the development and growth of the baby in the belly.

The fetal alcohol syndrome

This is demonstrated by a study on the fetal-alcoholic syndrome directed by Simona Pichini of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, conducted on 168 mother-newborn couples: it emerged that modest quantities of alcohol consumed throughout pregnancy are detectable both in the maternal hair and in the first feces. neonatal, meconium. Which means that the baby in the belly has absorbed it.

The risks for the unborn child

But what risk does the fetus face from alcohol? The risk is that of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), which is a series of possible damages caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol:

 birth defects;

 learning disabilities;

 behavior disorders;

 mental disorders.

If you avoid alcohol in pregnancy, Fasds are 100% preventable. The Istituto Superiore di Sanità then reminded mothers-to-be that in the nine months there are no quantities of alcohol that can be considered safe or risk-free for the fetus.

Furthermore, the presence in the diet of the expectant mother of any alcoholic drink harms the fetus without differences in type or strength: the fetus does not have the ability to metabolize alcohol which therefore directly damages brain cells and organs in formation.

Irreversible damage

According to the indications of the ISS it is advisable not to consume alcoholic beverages even during breastfeeding and remember that the damage caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol is irreversible and not curable .