Drinking during pregnancy at any time puts your baby at risk of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and related disorders. Even a drink a day can be damaging - and the effects of FAS last a lifetime. Is it worth the health and well-being of your child to drink while you are pregnant? Illinois warns mothers to practice abstinence, regardless of the -Å“drink a day is okay-proponents.

Prenatal exposure to alcohol can cause a range of mental and physical disorders, known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). The most severe effects are diagnosed as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS, characterized by irreversible abnormal facial features, growth deficiencies, and central nervous system (CNS) problems, is one of the leading known preventable causes of mental retardation and birth defects.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) effects at least 2 percent of all births in the United States, with research suggesting the subclinical effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol effect 1 in 100 births.

What is the difference between FAS and FASD?
Unlike FAS, FASD is not a clinical diagnosis. According to Gregor, a board member for FASTeam, a nonprofit dedicated to raising FASD awareness, FASD includes diagnoses of FAS, Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE), Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (PFAS), Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopment Disorder (ARND), and Alcohol-Related Birth Defects (ARBD). These conditions differ in terms of physical, mental and behavioral disabilities.

What are the effects of FASD?
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most extreme outcome of FAS is fetal death. Women who drink during pregnancy are also at higher risk of miscarriage, premature birth, still birth, placental abruption, and amniotitis.

Children with FASDs might have the following characteristics or exhibit the following behaviors:

Small size for gestational age or small stature in relation to peers
Facial abnormalities such as small eye openings
Poor coordination
Hyperactive behavior
Learning disabilities
Developmental disabilities (e.g., speech and language delays)
Mental retardation or low IQ
Problems with daily living
Poor reasoning and judgment skills
Sleep and sucking disturbances in infancy

Drinking during pregnancy is so detrimental because your unborn child is being exposed to the same amounts of alcohol as you (yet they are far smaller) and studies have demonstrated equivalent fetal and maternal alcohol concentrations (this means your baby's blood alcohol level is equivalent to yours).

Can only a few drinks during pregnancy cause FAS or FASD?
"Yes, drinking any amount of alcohol at any time during the pregnancy has the potential of damaging the fetus and leading to a FASD disorder," says Gregor. "No amount of alcohol consumption can be considered safe during pregnancy and alcohol can damage a fetus at any stage of pregnancy."

According to Gregor, the latest research suggests that as little as two drinks in early pregnancy can kill developing brain cells. She adds, "It is also important to know that some of the more severe effects of alcohol occur with woman who binge drink (four or more drinks on an occasion). Of course this is of great concern since we know that college women and many other women of child-bearing age often engage in binge drinking [and do not take birth control]. So, these women may not drink on a regular basis, but have had instances of binge drinking and maybe did not even know that they were pregnant."