Alcohol can cause numerous health problems for the unborn child. Premature births may occur, the baby’s growth may slow down, and the baby is also at risk for behavioral, speech and learning problems.
A child has much less ability to convert alcohol. If a woman drinks alcohol, it can get into the amniotic fluid of the fetus and cause harm.
For the study, the researchers looked at 24 brain scans of fetuses. The women were between 22 and 36 weeks pregnant. Many had been drinking alcohol during that time, but the amount varied depending on the expectant mother. Three mothers reported drinking a few glasses a week, while another had more than fourteen glasses a week.
It’s unclear what the long-term effect is
Researchers say they saw ‘marked changes’ in the fetal brain in women who drank alcohol. Particularly in the part of the brain that later deals with language development in childhood, says lead researcher Patric Kienast. “We also saw it in mothers who drank relatively little.”
It is not yet clear what effect the affected brain structure has on the child’s development after birth. “We have to wait until the kids are older,” Kienast says. “But we can assume it plays a role in any developmental issues the child may have.”
Kienast wants to emphasize with the research that even small amounts of alcohol can be harmful. This is still too often a talking point, she says. Dutch independent knowledge institute Trimbos certainly agrees with the Austrian researchers. “No amount of alcohol can be stated with certainty that it is harmless to the (un)born child.”
The results of the study will be presented next week at a meeting of radiologists in the United States.
