Drinking while pregnant can harm your baby's brain, new research has backed up.
Even small amounts of alcohol can cause changes to a developing baby’s brain structure.
So says a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
Drinking while pregnant can harm baby's brain
Women have been warned for years that even the occasional drink while pregnant can harm their growing baby.
And a new study backs this up, claiming that even low to moderate alcohol consumption can change the baby’s brain structure and delay brain development.
For the new study, which hasn’t yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, researchers used MRI images to evaluate fetal brains in babies exposed to alcohol during their mother’s pregnancy.
The most recent study looked at brain MRIs for 24 fetuses with prenatal alcohol exposure.
Alcohol consumption
The mothers were between 22 and 36 weeks pregnant at the time of the MRI and the fetuses were matched with healthy fetuses not exposed to alcohol.
The scientists determined alcohol use based on surveys completed by the mothers anonymously.
Overall, 17 mothers reported drinking relatively infrequently, with an average alcohol consumption of less than one drink per week.
Other responses indicated:
- Three moms indicated drinking one to three drinks per week
- Two moms drank four to six weeks per week
- One mom drank an average of 14 drinks per week
- Six mothers reported at least one binge-drinking episode.
Alcohol exposure
The scientists reported that in fetuses with alcohol exposure:
- The total maturation score was significantly lower
- The regions of the brain involved in social cognition, audiovisual integration, and language perception and development were affected.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
The researchers say it isn’t clear how these brain changes will affect the babies after birth and won’t know until the children are assessed when older.
But they assume the changes related to cognitive and behavioral difficulties will continue into childhood.
Many medical experts say that fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) can lead to learning disabilities, behavioral problems, or speech and language delays.