All healthcare professionals should deliver a clear message to women that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, according to Alcohol Action Ireland.
Speaking on international Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Day last week, CEO Suzanne Costello said women were receiving conflicting advice from various sources, including healthcare providers, about consumption during pregnancy.
She called for a “clear and consistent message of ‘no alcohol, no risk’ to be delivered across all healthcare providers”.
“No quantity of alcohol has ever been proven to be safe to consume during pregnancy and no period of pregnancy has been shown to be immune to the effects of alcohol on the unborn child. What is very clear is that there are no benefits for the unborn child from exposure to alcohol,” she said.
The number of cases of FASD and alcohol related neurodevelopmental disorder is unknown because there is no national register. FASD is also commonly misdiagnosed or unconfirmed, according to Alcohol Action Ireland.
A recently published BMJ Open study estimated that up to 82 per cent of Irish women drank during pregnancy and 45 per cent binge drank while pregnant.
Michele Savage of FASD Ireland said prenatal alcohol exposure can cause irreversible sensory integration issues, slow rates of cognitive processing and can impair the working memory and organisational skills.
“Children affected by FASD do not mature as they should and cannot cope as well as their unaffected peers, which can be very upsetting and stressful for them, particularly as they realise their own limitations,” she said.
Source: William Bourke, Irish Medical Times, 23/09/15
Safer Student Nights
eBulletin
Poll
