There is no known safe amount of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Fetal alcohol syndrome is a preventable birth defect characterized by growth restriction, facial abnormalities and central nervous dysfunction. Many more babies, however, are diagnosed with fetal alcohol effect, which is a lesser degree of the syndrome. Fetuses of women who ingest six drinks per day are at a 40 percent risk of developing some features of the fetal alcohol syndrome (5;9). Some data suggest that binge drinking, for example on the weekend, is more likely to cause this syndrome than daily intake of alcohol (1). It is safest to.
