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Introduction
Alcohol-related birth defects refer to anatomic or functional abnormalities caused due to prenatal alcohol exposure.
Any amount of alcohol taking during the pregnancy is harmful for the baby. There is no known safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
Alcohol has a teratogenic effect on the fetus and if a pregnant woman takes alcohol during pregnancy, it reaches the fetal blood system through the placenta affecting the developing tissues and organs of the fetus and this has a profound impact on the physical and mental growth & development of the baby.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is an umbrella term used to describe the range of effects that can occur due to prenatal alcohol exposure. FASD refers to conditions such as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), fetal alcohol effects (FAE), alcohol related neuro developmental disorder (ARND), and alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD).
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