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What Are the Effects of Prenatal Alcohol on the Fetus?

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Updated November 24, 2007

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Question: What Are the Effects of Prenatal Alcohol on the Fetus?
Answer: The U.S. Public Health Service has indicated that there is no safe level of alcohol use during pregnancy. If a woman drinks while pregnant, she puts her developing fetus at risk for a wide spectrum of adverse effects including spontaneous abortion; growth retardation; physical, mental, and behavioral abnormalities; facial abnormalities; and CNS impairment, such as developmental delay, speech or language delay, lower IQ, and decreased head circumference. In the worst cases, prenatal exposure to alcohol may result in fetal death.

Back to: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome FAQ

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