What is FAS?
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a medically diagnosable condition describing a set of birth defects seen in children whose mothers consumed alcohol during pregnancy. Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE): is a term used to describe the presence of some, but not all, FAS characteristics when prenatal exposure to alcohol has been confirmed (also used occasionally when use is uncertain). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAS/FAE) is one of the major known preventable birth defects among Canadian children.

Introduction to FAS
Prenatal exposure to alcohol is one of the leading causes of preventable birth defects and developmental delay in children in Canada and one of the top three known causes of mental retardation, along with Spina Bifida and Down Syndrome. It is a life-long condition. A child with FAS becomes an adult with FAS. There is no cure for this syndrome; the damage is irreversible.
Standard servings of beer, wine, spirits and coolers all contain the same amounts of alcohol. None of these products should be consumed during pregnancy.
Drinking a large amount of alcohol at any one time may be more dangerous to the fetus than drinking small amounts more frequently. The fetus is most vulnerable to various types of injuries depending on the stage of development in which alcohol is encountered. A safe amount of drinking during pregnancy has not been determined, and all major authorities agree that women should not drink at all during pregnancy. Unfortunately, women sometimes wait until a pregnancy is confirmed before they stop drinking. By then, the embryo/fetus has gone through several weeks of critical development, a period during which exposure to alcohol can be very damaging. Therefore, the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse urges women who are pregnant or anticipating a pregnancy to abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages.

FACTS
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a pattern of mental and physical defects that develops in some unborn babies when the mother drinks too much alcohol during pregnancy. A baby born with FAS may be seriously handicapped and require a lifetime of special care. Some babies with alcohol-related birth defects, including smaller body size, lower birth weight, and other impairments, do not have all of the classic FAS symptoms. These symptoms are sometimes referred to as Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE). Researchers do not all agree on the precise distinctions between FAS and FAE cases. Alcohol in a pregnant woman's bloodstream circulates to the fetus by crossing the placenta. There, the alcohol interferes with the ability of the fetus to receive sufficient oxygen and nourishment for normal cell development in the brain and other body organs.

Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol can Cause:
· Intellectual deficits and learning disabilities;
· Hyperactivity;
· Attention and/or memory deficits;
· Inability to manage anger;
· Difficulties with problem solving;
· Prenatal and postnatal growth deficiencies.

How Much is too Much?
In a recent survey done for Health Canada to measure the knowledge of the effects of alcohol use during pregnancy, 60 per cent of the survey respondents (male and female) said cutting down on or stopping using alcohol would be one of the most important things that pregnant women might do to increase the likelihood that their baby will be born healthy. Many women also said they would be most receptive to support and encouragement from their spouses to stop or cut back.
As researchers have not been able to determine a safe level of drinking during pregnancy, there's only one safe course if you are pregnant or wish to become pregnant: don't drink alcohol.

Health Canada has also established a National Advisory Committee on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Alcohol Effects to provide advice and recommendations on FAS/FAE.