Linking European professionals concerned with

alcohol and pregnancy

EUFASD News - 40/2011

NEWS AND ARTICLES

The Stir - Pregnancy Helped Save Me From Alcohol For many years of my adult life, I abused alcohol. I don't talk about this very often, but I've been pretty up front about it—at least, as much as I can bear to be. As a result, people sometimes ask me how I managed to stop drinking. I wish I had an easy answer for them, or maybe even something uplifting about doing a personal inventory and finding inner strength and accepting help from others ... but really, the answer is this: I got pregnant. more >

The Hindu - Better safe than sorry That's as the popular saying goes and is very relevant for mothers-to-be. There is a precious life growing inside you that is dependent on you for its very existence. Taking care of yourself in body and mind for nine months should be your number one priority to raise a healthy baby and give it the best possible start in life. more >

BBC News - What damage does alcohol do to our bodies? We know that drinking too much alcohol is bad for us. It gives us hangovers, makes us feel tired and does little for our appearance - and that is just the morning afterwards. more >

West Virginia MetroNews (USA) - Study: Many Pregnant Women Test Positive for Drugs Concerned about the number of babies born addicted to drugs, the staff at CAMC's Women's Medicine Center for Prenatal Care decided to take a closer look at the problem. more >

Helsingin Sanomat (Finland) - Hundreds of Finnish newborn babies damaged by alcohol Hundreds, and possibly thousands of children in Finland are born each year suffering from the ill effects caused by alcohol consumed by the mother during pregnancy. According to Research Professor Ilona Autti-Rämö of the Social Insurance Institution KELA, the problem is getting worse. more >

Northern Advocate (New Zealand) - Northland women warned not to drink while pregnant Pregnant women from around Northland took to the streets to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy. Several events were held in Whangarei, Kerikeri, Kaitaia, Kaikohe and the Hokianga to mark International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Day last week. more >

Marketing Week (UK) - Halewood targets pregnant women in wine push Drinks maker Halewood International is targeting pregnant women in a push for alcohol free wine brand Eisberg that aims to “demystify” the “contradictory” advice given to women during pregnancy. more >

Offlicence News (UK) - Pregnant women targeted in Eisberg campaign Alcohol-free wine Eisberg has launched a campaign aimed at pregnant women. The campaign aims to “help demystify the contradicting information and advice given to women in the early stages of pregnancy and offer a healthy alternative to drinking alcohol”. more >

Victoria Times Colonist (Canada) - FASD's terrible toll can be curbed The editorial pointed out the harms that face our society related to alcohol use as B.C. and Vancouver Island face increased consumption. One consequence not mentioned in the article is fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Every year, approximately 3,000 infants are born in Canada with FASD. more >

The Daily Telegraph (UK) - Poison for a baby's brain, foetal alcohol syndrome THE first ever motion recognising foetal alcohol syndrome was passed in parliament last week, with the condition the leading cause of non-genetic disability in children. more >

Winnipeg Free Press (Canada) - Gerrard vows to track children with FASD It costs Canadians at least $5.3 billion, affects at least 11,000 Manitobans and clogs jails, welfare rolls and the health-care system. But fetal alcohol spectrum disorder earned barely a mention on the campaign trail until Wednesday -- Day 25 -- when Liberal Leader Jon Gerrard promised to track and count kids with the disability. more >

BCLocalNews - What it's like to live with FASD During the Sept. 9 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day in 100 Mile House, Shirlana Vance read out the following speech that she had prepared for the occasion. more >

MATERIALS

CAMH – Addiction Toolkit: Alcohol Use in Pregnancy The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has an on-line toolkit for health care providers who work in a primary care setting and who have patients with substance use problems. The have recently added two new sections on Alcohol problems in women and Alcohol use in pregnancy. more >

Call for Papers - Special Issue on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders The International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, a peer-reviewed, free-of-charge, open access journal and the official Journal of the Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol (KBS), invites the submission of papers on biomedical, psychological, and sociological aspects related to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), to be featured in this special issue to be published in December, 2012. more >

Parenting with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder This paper focuses on issues associated with parenting and living with FASD. It is based on a larger research and video production project that examined the challenges, accomplishments and support needs of adults with FASD in relation to parenting, employment and the legal system. more >

Review of: "FASD Relationships - What I Have Learned from About Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder" Rod Densmore is both a medical practitioner and a parent of a young adult with FASD. He addresses the complex issues of FASD as a parent and medical professional in an user-friendly language book and also available as a 5-DVD set. more >

RESEARCH

Alcoholism - A Limited Access Mouse Model of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure that Produces Long-Lasting Deficits in Hippocampal-Dependent Learning and Memory It has been estimated that approximately 12% of women consume alcohol at some time during their pregnancy, and as many as 5% of children born in the United States are impacted by prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). The range of physical, behavioral, emotional, and social dysfunctions that are associated with PAE are collectively termed fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). more >

Pharm Biochem Behavior - Neuroprotective effects of the 17ß-estradiol against ethanol-induced neurotoxicity and oxidative stress in the developing male rat cerebellum During particular periods of central nervous system (CNS) development, exposure to ethanol can decrease regional brain growth and can result in selective loss of neurons. Unfortunately, there are few effective means of attenuating damage in the immature brain. more >

UPCOMING EVENTS

Medusa meeting – The agenda for the expert conference (October 11-12, 2011) will cover recent advances in the alcohol related issues including such important topic as: health consequences of alcohol use, FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome), epidemiology, alcohol policy. more >

EUFASD News - 37/2011

NEWS AND ARTICLES

FemaleFirst.co.uk - Alcohol in pregnancy causes 'most common form of learning disability' A new research paper has assessed the impact on learning of children suffering from foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and it provides a wake-up call to the consequences of drinking alcohol whilst pregnant. more >

The West Australian (Australia) - Alcohol in pregnancy can harm babies Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is now being revealed as a tragic legacy of alcohol misuse. And the condition is not isolated to marginalised, disadvantaged communities, researchers say. more >

BBC News (UK) - Pregnant pause at Aberdeen flash gathering A flash mob to highlight fetal alcohol problems has taken place in Aberdeen city centre. more >

EMC Kingston (Canada) - A resounding reminder of the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy Who better to help ring a bell to raise awareness about any worthwhile cause than the city's own Town Crier, Chris Whyman. Wyman, bell in hand, joined a room full of people at Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health as they rang bells to raise awareness about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). more >

WVNS (USA) - Born Addicted: Approximately 1 out of 5 W.Va. Babies Born With Drugs in System Instead of spending the first few weeks or months in the comfort of their new home, many West Virginia babies start their lives in an intensive care unit, withdrawing from drugs. more >

Kingston This Week (Canada) - New interventions for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Until the last child is born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, bells will continue to toll around the world at 9:09 a.m. on September 9 to mark International FASD Awareness Day and the importance of abstaining from alcohol during the nine months of pregnancy. more >

Independent Online (South Africa) - Hope for alcohol syndrome babies For the first time, many South African babies born with foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) will be diagnosed at birth – giving them a far better chance at getting help. more >

NewsPoint Africa (South Africa) – EXPERTS acknowledge 4000 new cases fas every year says report Foetal alcohol syndrome is a severe birth defect that makes infants mentally retarded along with episodes of facial and neural abnormalities as well as malformations of other body parts. The health condition is believed to be triggered by alcohol consumption during pregnancy. more >

Austin American-Statesman (USA) - State office, advocates seek screening of all pregnant women for alcohol use A state health office and advocates announced Friday that they are seeking universal screening of all pregnant Texas women and "brief intervention for alcohol use" to prevent a widespread but little-known disability. more >

EurActiv (EU) - Combat alcohol abuse with mandatory labels, EU urged Policymakers gathered in Brussels this week to discuss the risks posed by alcohol abuse to unborn children urged the EU to introduce mandatory warning labels on bottles and cans. more >

South Wales Argus (Wales) - Mums-to-be tell of dangers of boozing while pregnant MUMS-to-be joined NHS staff in Newport yesterday to highlight the dangers of drinking alcohol while pregnant. more >

Independent Online - Just one drink can harm your unborn baby Friday (September 9, 2011) is International Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Awareness Day and the Industry Association for Responsible Alcohol Use (ARA) is urging expecting mothers not to drink alcohol while pregnant. more >

UPCOMING EVENTS

2ND International SAFFrance Colloquium 15- 16 December 2011, Strasbourg The second international conference of SAFFrance to be organised on the 15th and 16th of December in Strasbourg is linked to the first conference organised in the Senate in September 2009 to which the higher head of state participated. more >

Live webcast – September 28, 2011 (9 -11am MST) – Talking with Women about Alcohol and Pregnancy Christine Urqhart, Co-Founder, Change Talk Associates This session will address FASD prevention in relation to how we communicate with pregnant women and women in their childbearing years along the continuum of risk. more >

MATERIALS

2011 Fetal Alcohol Canadian Expertise (FACE) Poster Competition Abstracts Held on September 13, 2011 - Prince Edward Island more >

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) are a group of conditions that can occur in a person whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. Learn more about signs, treatments, and what you can do about FASDs. more >

Canadian Foundation on Fetal Alcohol Research Awards Research Grants The Canadian Foundation on Fetal Alcohol Research (CFFAR) today announced its fourth round of grants awarded for the research, prevention and treatment of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Dr. Louise Nadeau, Professor at the Université de Montréal and Scientific Director of the Centre Dollard-Cormier, University Institute on Dependencies and Ian Faris, President and CEO of the Brewers Association of Canada (BAC) made the announcement. more >

RESEARCH

A Differential Approach for Examining the Behavioural Phenotype of Fetal Alcohol Research Disorders 2006, Nash and colleagues published results suggesting that individual items from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) could be used as a screening tool that was highly sensitive in differentiating children with FASD from controls and children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). more >

A Need for Closer Examination of FASD by the Criminal Justice System: Has the Call Been Answered? Individuals with FASD exhibit deficits in many domains that can include memory, learning, behavioural inhibition, executive functioning, interpersonal skills, and language. These deficits have serious implications for affected persons when they become engaged in the legal system. more >

IN OTHER LANGUAGES

STERN.DE (Germany) - Für immer geschädigt In Deutschland kommen jedes Jahr mehrere tausend Babys mit Alkoholschäden zur Welt, weil ihre Mütter während der Schwangerschaft getrunken haben. Die Kinder sind oft unterentwickelt, verhaltensauffällig und lernen nicht so schnell wie Gleichaltrige - so wie Michael Resch, für den seine Kindheit eine Qual war. more >

Opoka (Poland) - Miedzynarodowy Dzien FAS i konferencja w Ledzinach W dniu 9 wrzesnia obchodzony jest po raz 11 Swiatowy Dzien FAS. Plodowy Zespól Alkoholowy (ang. FAS: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) jest zespolem uszkodzen organizmu i zwiazanych z tym zaburzen rozwoju u dzieci matek pijacych alkohol w czasie ciazy. W USA ten syndrom znany jest od 1973 r. W najblizszy poniedzialek, 12 wrzesnia odbedzie sie w Ledzinach konferencja naukowa „FASD (poalkoholowe spektrum wrodzonych zaburzen rozwojowych a inne zaburzenia rozwojowe". more >

Deutsches Ärzteblatt (Germany) - Drogenbeauftragte: Gynäkologen sollen schwangere Mädchen vor Alkoholkonsums warnen Schätzungsweise 10.000 Kinder mit einer Form der Fetalen Alkoholspektrum-Störung (FASD) werden in jedem Jahr in Deutschland geboren. Damit ist FASD die häufigste angeborene Behinderung in diesem Land. more >

Salon Seudun Sanomat (Finland) - 9.9. muistuttaa yhdeksän kuukauden raittiudesta Perjantaina vietetään kansainvälistä FASD-päivää. Päivämäärä 9.9. muistuttaa odottavan äidin yhdeksän kuukauden raittiudesta. Kun odottava äiti juo alkoholia, juo kohdussa oleva lapsikin. Alkoholi on kuitenkin myrkky, jota sikiön elimistö ei pysty käsittelemään. Vaikeimmillaan alkoholi voi aiheuttaa syntyvälle lapselle syvän kehitysvamman. more >

Libero-News.it (Italy) – Pediatria Iss rischi da alcol nel pancione per oltre 7 neonati su 100 Divieto assoluto di bere alcol per le donne in gravidanza. Ma in Italia 7,6 neonati su 100 corrono il rischio di un'esposizione ai danni della sindrome fetoalcolica. more >

Noticias Médicas (Spain) - El 25% de mujeres españolas aún bebe alcohol en el embarazo a pesar de las graves consecuencias para el bebé La importancia de los trastornos derivados del consumo abusivo de bebidas alcohólicas afecta a de 2 a 4 bebés nacidos, según el Parlamente Europeo. more >

EUFASD News - 35/2011

NEWS AND ARTICLES

The Virtual Medical Centre (Australia) - Alcohol health warnings protect mums and babies Researchers at Perth's Telethon Institute for Child Health Research support calls for mandatory health warning labels on alcohol products. more >

Queens County Advance - FASD: Supporting mother during pregnancy key Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is one of the few illnesses that is completely preventable, however it is also the one that comes with the most stigma. Sept. 9 is FASD awareness day, and the South Shore Family Resource Centre bringing awareness to the issue with the help of several community partners. more >

Canada Views (Canada) - Alberta recognizes International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day September 9 is International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Day. Each year on the ninth day of the ninth month, this day serves as a reminder to people around the world that during the nine months of pregnancy, a woman should abstain from alcohol. more >

Irish Times (Ireland) - Born with a craving for alcohol WOMEN IN Ireland who drink while pregnant are creating children three times more likely to crave alcohol, according to a leading specialist in the field. more >

The West Australian (Australia) - Alcohol in pregnancy can harm babies Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is now being revealed as a tragic legacy of alcohol misuse. And the condition is not isolated to marginalised, disadvantaged communities, researchers say. more >

Patch.com (USA) - For Whom The Bells Will Toll At 9:09 a.m., on September 9, the bells of the Community Church of Douglaston and Zion Episcopal Church will ring in an effort to help raise awareness about fetal alcohol syndrome. more >

KARE (USA) - Pregnant drinking: Social experiment at the Minnesota State Fair The idea by the Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was simple; plant a visibly pregnant woman at the state fair, have her drink a few beers and wait to see if people would intervene. more >

SignOnSanDiego.com - Healthy pregnancy equals a healthy baby Preparing for a baby’s arrival is important — but charting a course for mom’s health during pregnancy is even more vital. Here are some tips for planning a healthy pregnancy. more >

Vanguard - When you drink for two, your child becomes damaged Imagine when your pregnancy is scanned for the first time so you could see your precious baby growing in the womb, suddenly its whole body gives a shudder and the foetus appears to jump. Such a movement is known as the startle reflex, and the scan described above are from photographs from scans that were taken by Peter Hepper, a professor of psychology at Queens University, Belfast and an expert on the effects of alcohol on unborn babies. more >

Jakcsonville.com - Ask the health experts: Is it OK to have a glass of wine during pregnancy? Is it OK for me to have a glass of wine during my pregnancy? I have heard it might help me sleep, and that an occasional alcoholic beverage won't harm my baby. more >

MATERIALS

Blogcritics.org - Interview: Carole Eglash-Kosof, Author of The Human Spirit Carole Eglash-Kosof is a graduate of UCLA and has spent the majority of her career in business and teaching. After tragedy struck in 2006, causing her to lose her husband, mother and brother within a month of one another, she knew she needed to reevaluate her life. She was sent to South Africa to teach as part of the American Jewish World Service. The Human Spirit is the tale of the people of this land who show a level of caring unrivaled by most. They are apartheid’s unheralded heroes and The Human Spirit is their story. more >

Best Start – Best Start Resource Centre Check out alcohol and pregnancy resources on the Best Start Resource Centre site, including the stylish Mocktails for Mom brochure. more >

IN OTHER LANGUAGES

MediUutiset (Finland) - Alkoholin vaurioittamat vauvat jäävät ilman diagnoosia Vain kymmenen prosenttia äidin raskauden aikaisen alkoholinkäytön takia fetaalialkoholioireyhtymän (FAS) saaneista lapsista saa diagnoosin. more >

Kehitysvammaliitto (Finland) - 9.9. muistuttaa yhdeksän kuukauden raittiudesta Kansainvälisenä FASD-päivänä 9.9. kiinnitetään huomiota raskaudenaikaisen alkoholinkäytön vaaroihin. FASD on uusi lääketieteellinen termi, jolla viitataan lapselle aiheutuneiden vaurioiden kirjoon. more >

EUFASD News - 33/2011

NEWS AND ARTICLES

Lethbridge Herald (Canada) - Balancing FASD-justice scales Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder represents a major challenge to the court system, as detailed in The Herald's recent two-part look at FASD and justice. more >

Jewish Tribune (Canada) - Universities team up for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder research The University of Manitoba has teamed up with Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Manitoba government to support a new research collaboration to address fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). more >

Canada Views (Canada) - Alberta recognizes International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day September 9 is International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Day. Each year on the ninth day of the ninth month, this day serves as a reminder to people around the world that during the nine months of pregnancy, a woman should abstain from alcohol. more >

Bangkok Post (Thailand) - Drinking alcohol while pregnant A survey of 772 pregnant women in nine provinces across the country by the Centre for Alcohol Studies (CAS) showed 12.6% of them drank during pregnancy. more >

National Affairs (Australia) - Starved of their future at birth ABORIGINAL babies born into families on the margins of society are our most vulnerable citizens. Unable to feed themselves and given insufficient nutrition they suffer hunger and are unable to develop normally. more >

Dynamic Chiropractic - Substance Abuse: A Prenatal-to-Grave Public Health Issue Deaths from substance use and abuse exceed in number deaths caused by all other diseases. Doctors of chiropractic nationwide have added substance testing (and education) as a service promoting healthful living or the restoration of health and wellness for patients. more >

Times of India - Binge drinkers have sex they later regret A new study has found that binge drinking puts teenage girls at risk of having unprotected sex, unplanned pregnancies and contracting sexually-transmitted diseases. more >

Nigerian Tribune (Nigeria) - How mothers can avoid having babies with birth defects Most babies with birth defects are born with no obvious health problems or risk factors. Nonetheless, experts say part of what women can do to ensure that they do not have babies with birth defects, such as spina bifida, include adopting good lifestyles, as well as using folic acids supplements at least three months before getting pregnant, reports Sade Oguntola. more >

theWEST.com.au (Australia) - GG makes historic visit to Kimberley town Governor-General Quentin Bryce has flown into Fitzroy Crossing this morning - the first such official visit to the Kimberley town in more than a decade. Mrs Bryce, a famed feminist, will visit Marninwartikura Women's Resource Centre and meet participants in the Lililwan Project, which aims to document the extent of children affected by foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, or FASD. more >

Stuff.co.nz (New Zealand) - Booze and babies are a harmful mix There is no safe amount of alcohol nor safe time to drink while pregnant according to Alcohol HealthWatch. The organisation has teamed up with Northland District Health Board and ran a series of hui last month to teach health and community workers about alcohol and pregnancy. more >

COMING UP

FETAL ALCOHOL & OTHER NEUROBEHAVIORAL CONDITIONS: Understanding & Application of a Brain-Based Approach This session provides information about FASD and the effects of other drugs on behaviors of children, adolescents and adults. more >

fasdprevention blog - Getting ready for FASD Awareness Day 2011 - September 9 On the ninth day of the ninth month of the year, the world will remember that during the nine months of pregnancy a woman should abstain from drinking alcohol. more >

www.Tweet4FASD.com and International FASD Awareness Day To bring FASD awareness to Twitter users around the world, I am asking everyone with a Twitter account to Tweet the following on September 9, 2011: "#FASD is preventable! Alcohol in pregnancy can cause brain damage, learning problems, more. Don't drink while pregnant. http://www.vimeo.com/27342419" more >

MATERIALS

Common Misinterpretation of Normal Responses in Students with FASD Tip sheet for teachers working with students with FASD. more >

VIDEO - Hunter's Story: Overcoming FASD Hunter was diagnosed at the age of 15 with FASD. His journey is an incredible one - this video gives a brief glimpse into his life and how he has "turned something that could have been a weakness, into a strength". Hunter inspires us all! more >

Tom Daschle on NOFAS - Full Senate Floor Speech more >

RESEARCH

Womens Health - Preconception Markers of Dual Risk for Alcohol and Smoking Exposed Pregnancy: Tools for Primary Prevention Effective preconception primary prevention strategies are needed for women who are at dual risk for alcohol and smoking exposed pregnancies. The current study seeks to identify risk factors that can be used to target intervention strategies at women who are at dual risk. more >

Addiction - Mortality among Substance-using Mothers in California: A 10-year Prospective Study To examine mortality rates and causes of death among a cohort of substance-using mothers and to identify risk factors that predict mortality. This is a prospective study of a cohort of 4,447 substance-using mothers (pregnant or parenting) who were enrolled during 2000 to 2002 in 40 drug abuse treatment programs across California. more >

IN OTHER LANGUAGES

EZ Rome - Roma quotidiana (Italy) - Il Professore Nicola Surico e la campagna "Se aspetti un bambino l'alcol può attendere" La vita è un valore da difendere fin "dalle sue origini" con comportamenti e scelte concrete. I rischi connessi all'uso e all'abuso di alcol durante il periodo della gravidanza passa, oggi, più che mai, attraverso campagne di informazioni e di sensibilizzazione rivolte alle donne, alle loro famiglie e agli operatori sanitari, in particolare ginecologi e ostetriche.
more >

EUFASD News - 31/2011

NEWS AND ARTICLES

Times of India - Binge drinkers have sex they later regret A new study has found that binge drinking puts teenage girls at risk of having unprotected sex, unplanned pregnancies and contracting sexually-transmitted diseases. more >

The Imperfect Parent (USA) - Pregnant teen says she’ll continue to drink ‘or she’ll get bored’ As health professionals try to work out exactly how much alcohol can be consumed before a baby is potentially damaged, and conduct studies on the effects alcohol during pregnancy has on children as they grow older, it appears that the message that alcohol should not be drunk during pregnancy is not getting through. more >

University of Rochester Newsroom - Study Evaluates Tools to Encourage a Healthy Pregnancy The University of Rochester Medical Center and Cornell University have teamed up to launch a major study that will assess electronic and web-based strategies designed to promote healthy behavior in women both during and immediately following their pregnancy. more >

6minutes (Australia) - Women still drink and smoke in pregnancy A high number of Australian women are still drinking alcohol and smoking during pregnancy, research suggests. more >

NHS Choices (UK) - Unplanned babies' learning examined “IVF children have bigger vocabulary than unplanned babies,” The Daily Telegraph has reported. The news is based on a large study investigating how pregnancy planning, time taken to conceive and the use of infertility treatment (including IVF) influenced cognitive ability of children at ages three and five. more >

Lethbridge Herald (Canada) - FASD: '10-second kids in a one-second world' "John" is all too familiar with Canada's criminal justice system. He's been to court numerous times over the years on charges he'd rather not talk about, and he's spent time in jail. more >

Brew Drinking Thinkings - Could You Cut Out Alcohol Completely? I have recently become a Mummy for the first time, having had my daughter on Christmas Eve 2010. As soon as I found out I was pregnant I didn't touch a drop of alcohol. I know that Government guidelines say it is safe to drink a little as long as it is moderation, but I made the choice to abstain from drinking altogether. more >

WIA Report (Australia) - Study Finds That Australian Women With College Degrees Are More Likely to Drink Alcohol During Pregnancy Than Australian Women With Lower Levels of Education Prior research has shown that about 60 percent of young adult women in the United States are regular consumers of alcohol. In Australia, 87 percent of young adult women drink. more >

Examiner - Children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) develop secondary problems Children who are born with fetal alcohol syndrome are likely to develop a wide range of secondary conditions, problems that they were not born with, but can acquire as a result of having FAS. more >

Shine - The dangers of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Many know the dangers of consumer alcohol during pregnancy, but the lifelong effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome sometimes go unknown. more >

RESEARCH

Alcoholism - Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) Abnormalities Across the Life Span of Rats Prenatally Exposed to Alcohol Our findings have important clinical implications for the assessment and management of (i) childhood hearing disorders and their comorbidities (i.e., speech-and-language, learning, and attention deficit disorders) and (ii) enhanced age-related hearing and neurological degeneration in middle-aged adulthood that can result from prenatal alcohol exposure. more >

OxfordJournals - Abnormal Cortical Thickness Alterations in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and Their Relationships with Facial Dysmorphology Consistent with previous reports, findings of this study are supportive of regional increases in cortical thickness serving as a biomarker for disrupted brain development in FASD. Furthermore, the significant associations between thickness and dysmorphic measures suggest that the severity of brain anomalies may be reflected by that of the face. more >

Behavioural Brain Research - Comparative effects of alcohol and thiamine deficiency on the developing central nervous system The present study addresses the still unresolved issue of the character of alcohol–thiamine metabolic interferences in the developing central nervous system (CNS). more >

Alcoholism - Translation of an Evidence-Based Social Skills Intervention for Children with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure in a Community Mental Health Setting Results suggest that children with PAE can benefit from treatments initiated in community settings in which therapists are trained to understand their unique developmental needs, and that they can be successfully integrated into treatment protocols that include children without PAE. more >

Alcohol Research & Health Volume 34, Issue Number 1 The adverse effects of prenatal alcohol consumption have long been known; however, a formal description and clinical diagnosis of these effects was not introduced until 1973. Since then, the distinction of the wide range of effects that can be induced by prenatal alcohol exposure, and, consequently, the terminology to describe these effects has continued to evolve. more >

Alcoholism - Diffusion Tensor Imaging of the Cerebellum and Eyeblink Conditioning in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder This study extends recent findings that have used DTI to reveal microstructural deficits in white matter in children with FASD. This is the first DTI study to demonstrate mediation of a fetal alcohol-related effect on neuropsychological function by deficits in white matter integrity. more >

COMING EVENTS

Eurocare - Protecting the unborn baby from alcohol7 September 2011, European Parliament, Brussels This event is jointly organized by European Alcohol Policy Alliance (Eurocare) and the Polish State Agency for Prevention of Alcohol-Related Problems (PARPA) to mark International Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Day. more >

MATERIALS

Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse Center - Fetal Alcohol Syndrome & Fetal Alcohol Results Video clip Part two Fetal alcohol syndrome is among the most frequent recognized triggers of psychological retardation and as these, it is a key public well being difficulty. more >

Pregnant? Think! Don't Drink! FASD Prevention Handbook The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, District II is educating thousands of women across New York State about the risks of drinking alcohol during pregnancy. The College has developed a public friendly, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) prevention handbook. more >

Journal of Psychiatry & Law - SPECIAL ISSUE: FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME more >

IN OTHER LANGUAGES

Rynek Zrdowia (Poland) - Pijane ciaze - co roku kolejnych kilkaset dzieci wymaga leczenia. Bo matki pily... Z badan wynika, ze 33 proc. kobiet w wieku prokreacyjnym pilo alkohol w czasie ciazy. Co najmniej kilkaset z nich rodzi dziecko z pelnoobjawowym alkoholowym zespolem plodowym - FAS. Sa i takie matki, które pily alkohol sporadycznie, a ich dzieci wykazuja cechy tego syndromu. W wykazie chorób uprawniajacych dziecko do swiadczen specjalnych takiego schorzenia w ogóle nie ma. more >

EUFASD News - 29/2011

NEWS and ARTICLES

The West Australian (Australia) - Booze and pregnancy warnings 'misleading' The alcohol industry has had to review its health warnings for pregnant women only days after they were unveiled after a Perth expert on foetal-alcohol syndrome complained about the warnings. more >

7thSpace Interactive - Attitudes and behaviour predict women's intention to drink alcohol during pregnancy: the challenge for health professionals To explore women's alcohol consumption in pregnancy, and potential predictors of alcohol consumption in pregnancy including: demographic characteristics; and women's knowledge and attitudes regarding alcohol consumption in pregnancy and its effects on the fetus. more >

MedPage Today (USA) - Screen All Women for Alcohol Use, ACOG Says Pregnant or not, all women seeing their ob/gyn should be screened for alcohol use to identify at-risk drinking and alcohol dependence, according to the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG). more >

The Virtual Medical Centre - Heavy drinking in pregnancy can increase risk of low birth weight, preterm birth and size for age Heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy increases the risk of low birth weight, preterm birth and small size for gestational age, confirms a study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). more >

Abilene Reporter-News (Australia) - Light drinking OK for moms-to-be, study says, but Abilene docs doubtful From the land Down Under comes a report that pregnant women may want to toast, literally. But some local medical professionals say moms-to-be should hold off on raising that glass. more >

Mirror.co.uk (UK) - Booze destroyed Kiera's life before she was born - then killed her mum Kiera Roebuck is seven, but alcohol has already destroyed her life. In fact, it ruined almost every chance she had of a normal life before she was even born. more >

PennLive.com - Children's Health: Making poor choices during pregnancy can negatively impact baby Smoking. Drinking alcohol. Abusing drugs. Failing to get appropriate prenatal care. All these poor choices on the part of moms can negatively impact their children. more >

7thSpace Interactive - Fetal alcohol exposure leads to abnormal olfactory bulb development and impaired odor discrimination in adult mice Children whose mothers consumed alcohol during pregnancy exhibit widespread brain abnormalities and a complex array of behavioral disturbances. Here, we used a mouse model of fetal alcohol exposure to investigate relationships between brain abnormalities and specific behavioral alterations during adulthood. more >

Winnipeg Free Press (Canada) - Cop turns candidate over FASD Const. Gerard Allard, a 24-year veteran of the Winnipeg Police Service who has spent most of his career in the downtown and North End, said fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is clogging the court and correctional systems and the current approach is not working. That's why he's decided to run for the Liberals in St. James, a riding now held by the NDP. more >

COMING UP and RESOURCES

Eurocare - Protecting the unborn baby from alcohol 7 September 2011, European Parliament, Brussels This event is jointly organized by European Alcohol Policy Alliance (Eurocare) and the Polish State Agency for Prevention of Alcohol-Related Problems (PARPA) to mark International Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Day. more >

Second SAF France international FASD Colloquium (December 2011) Here both French and FASD experts from around the world will meet to share common interests and goals related to the early recognition and treatment of FASD children and adolescents. Deadline for the Abstract Submission: September 9, 2011. more >

Fifth National Biennial Conference on Adolescents and Adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder „It's a Matter of Justice“ Social Justice – Moving Forward is now accepting abstracts. This magnificent conference will be held on April 18 – 21, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver, British Columbia. more >

New website of Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome here.

July 29, 2011 - 12th Annual FACE Poster Competition - Call for Abstracts The 12th FACE Research Roundtable will be held on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at the Stanhope Resort and Conference Centre in York, PEI (20 minutes from Charlottetown), and as in the past, it will feature the annual FACE Poster Competition. We invite poster submissions on all topics of medical and social science research related to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. more >

RESEARCH

Prevalence of Children with Severe Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Communities Near Rome, Italy: New Estimated Rates Are Higher than Previous Estimates These rates are substantially higher than previous estimates of FAS and overall FASD for the general populations of Western Europe and the U. S., and raise questions as to the total impact of FASD on mental deficit in mainstream populations of Western Europe and the United States where the majority are middle class and are not believed to be characterized by heavy episodic drinking. more >

BMC Pediatrics (Canada) - The epidemiology of alcohol utilization during pregnancy: an analysis of the Canadian Maternity Experiences Survey (MES) A number of important factors associated with maternal alcohol utilization during pregnancy have been identified, indicating areas where increased focus may serve to reduce maternal and pediatric morbidity and mortality. more >

Canadian Journal of Sociology – The Shift From Victim To Deviant Identity For Those Diagnosed With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder This work is theoretically grounded in Rose’s work on psy-identities and Hacking’s concept of a looping effect, which suggests that the way an individual and their associates make sense of an identity manipulates the identity itself. more >

Nuclear Clusterin Is Associated with Neuronal Apoptosis in the Developing Rat Brain upon Ethanol Exposure This study shows that nClu plays a pro-apoptotic role in ethanol-induced cell death in the developing brain, providing new insights for development of FASD. more >

Alcohol Exposure In Utero Leads to Enhanced Prepubertal Mammary Development and Alterations in Mammary IGF and Estradiol Systems Exposure to alcohol during fetal development increases susceptibility to mammary cancer in adult rats. This study determined if early changes in mammary morphology and the insulin-like growth factor (IGF)/estradiol axis are involved in the mechanisms that underlie this increased susceptibility. more >

Pregnancy, Alcohol Intake, and Intimate Partner Violence among Men and Women Attending Drinking Establishments in a Cape Town, South Africa Township The highest rates of fetal alcohol syndrome worldwide can be found in South Africa. Particularly in impoverished townships in the Western Cape, pregnant women live in environments where alcohol intake during pregnancy has become normalized and interpersonal violence (IPV) is reported at high rates. For the current study we sought to examine how pregnancy, for both men and women, is related to alcohol use behaviors and IPV. more >

Women's Alcohol Consumption and Risk for Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancies in Russia Alcohol-exposed pregnancies (AEP) are the direct cause of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). This study examines drinking patterns among pregnant and non-pregnant women of childbearing age in Russia, a country with one of the highest levels of alcohol consumption in the world. more >

Dose–response relationship between alcohol consumption before and during pregnancy and the risks of low birthweight, preterm birth and small for gestational age (SGA)—a systematic review and meta-analyses Dose–response relationship indicates that heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy increases the risks of all three outcomes whereas light to moderate alcohol consumption shows no effect. Preventive measures during antenatal consultations should be initiated. more >

IN OTHER LANGUAGES

Gazeta.pl (Poland) - "Ma FAS, ludzie nie rozumieja". 200 tysiecy osób wspiera chlopca na Facebooku Ponad 200 tys. osób zapisalo sie do Facebookowej grupy wspierajacej rodziców osmioletniego Kamila chorego na FAS - plodowy zespól alkoholowy. Jej popularnosc jest szansa na zmiane sytuacji chorych dzieci i ich rodzin. more >

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