Bad habits of the expectant mother: why is alcohol harmful during pregnancy? "I didn't know I was pregnant." Alcohol in the first two weeks of pregnancy

A woman finds out that she is expecting a baby. What thoughts come to mind first? Of course, the expectant mother thinks about what foods and drinks she can afford during this period. There are representatives of the fairer sex who strictly limit themselves and prohibit consuming anything that can harm the fetus. But there are ladies who do not want to give up their favorite delicacies, including alcohol. Let's see if this is correct.

Scientists and doctors have tried many times to answer this question. Every time opinions differ. Moreover, a uniquely correct answer has not yet been found among them. Previously, it was believed that a glass of good red wine was not only safe, but even beneficial for a pregnant woman. This drink raises hemoglobin and increases appetite, which is extremely important for the expectant mother. No one can set strict limits, since the norm is completely different for everyone. Women's bodies react to alcohol individually.

Could this be beneficial for the fetus? Today it has been proven that a child in the womb drinks alcohol along with her. Of course, this does not happen in equal proportions. The baby gets exactly half.

Recent data indicate that alcohol penetrates the placental barrier in full. We can talk for a long time about the effect of ethyl alcohol on the embryo. However, your position and desire to drink during pregnancy will depend on only one thing: do you think that for such a small and defenseless creature, not yet born, but already living and functioning just like you, there is such a thing, What is a safe dose of alcohol?

Modern doctors have already taken a completely different position. They believe that there are no safe doses of alcohol during pregnancy. No one will ever tell you with certainty if a woman drank alcohol during pregnancy, how many grams of wine or beer will be decisive for the baby. No one except you will be held responsible for this subsequently. It is impossible to predict how alcohol may affect the health of an unborn son or daughter. During pregnancy there is no difference between alcoholic drinks. Early doctors argued that whiskey, brandy, liqueurs or vodka should definitely be prohibited, and wine and beer are not dangerous drinks, but modern scientific research proves otherwise. Absolutely any alcohol is equally potentially dangerous for a baby.

Alcohol in early pregnancy

In the first days, while the embryo is on its way to the uterus, this is dangerous only due to the provocation of spontaneous abortion. Then you simply will not know about pregnancy. Until the placenta has formed and the fetus begins to feed from you, there is no danger from alcohol. An average of two weeks between fertilization and missed menstruation is considered absolutely safe.

Undoubtedly, if for some reason the doses of alcohol were excessive and were consumed daily, you should tell your doctor honestly about it. If not, be calm. But know that as soon as the embryo lands and begins to develop and grow, you should absolutely forget about alcohol. Even a small dose in the first trimester can be the main cause of pathologies and deformities. This period is the most important and most dangerous for fetal development.

How does alcohol affect pregnancy?

Moderate consumption of alcohol during pregnancy increases the likelihood of miscarriage, and excessive consumption leads to abnormalities in the fetus. Chronic drinking during pregnancy can lead to a fetal abnormality called fetal alcohol syndrome. Mild, moderate drinking during pregnancy can lead to long-lasting changes in the brain, scientists have found. You won't notice the damage. If alcohol enters the blood of the fetus, the liver is affected first, then the vascular system, as well as those brain structures that are responsible for mental activity. If drugs are used along with alcohol, the potential harm to the fetus increases many times over. Particularly dangerous are painkillers, stimulants and anti-seizure drugs.

When a woman drinks alcohol, her eggs are damaged, each of which carries genetic information about your unborn child. This is why alcohol is dangerous even before pregnancy. The child of men and women who drink frequently has lower body weight, shorter height, and lags behind in development compared to peers born to parents who do not drink alcohol. The baby has a weakened immune system and is more susceptible to various diseases. The main danger is an innate predisposition to alcoholism.

All types of alcoholic beverages are toxic to the growing, developing fetus. Any drink containing alcohol is potentially dangerous for the unborn child. Additionally, you should be careful when using over-the-counter cough and cold products. Some of them contain up to 25% alcohol.

What responsibility does the father have for the child’s health?

If you planned your pregnancy in advance, then a man should give up alcohol 4 months before conception so that there is no effect of alcohol on heredity. Scientists have established a connection between father's alcoholism and slow intrauterine development of the fetus. Indeed, excessive alcohol consumption by the child's father can cause fetal alcohol syndrome. Even absolutely small doses of regularly consumed alcohol can reduce sperm motility and damage their hereditary structure. Of course, this will negatively affect the health of the unborn child.

A serving of alcohol of about 25 milliliters of alcohol per day is considered safe, that is, 150-250 grams of dry wine or 60 grams of vodka. At the moment this is just a theory that has not been conclusively proven. As adults and responsible people, you and your man must realize that now your lifestyle affects not only yourself, but also your continuation.

Or is it still possible to drink alcohol during pregnancy?

You can't help yourself and feel the urge to drink a glass of wine. Especially for you, we will answer the question of whether alcohol is allowed during pregnancy. You can afford 100-200 g of natural dry wine, but only 2-3 over 9 months.

In the second trimester, ethanol increases the risk of miscarriage if a woman drinks more than 30 ml of alcohol twice a week. For example, a 70-kilogram woman can drink only 50 g of red wine, and the negative effect after drinking alcohol will begin to take effect within 90 minutes. Most studies have confirmed that four to five small doses of alcohol per day are sufficient to cause fetal alcohol syndrome. However, in a mild form, abnormalities also occur with two doses per day (28 g of alcohol). If you do drink alcohol, then you need to drink one, maximum two drinks per week, and only during meals.

The period of pregnancy is a time of increased responsibility and a particularly reverent attitude towards your body. Over the course of 9 months, you are laying down a program for the health and emotional state of your unborn child. Take care of yourself and your future children!

Fortunately, most women are aware of the consequences of alcohol for their children and refrain from drinking it. It is not uncommon for a woman to still be unaware of her situation and continue to drink alcohol in the early stages. In such cases, upon learning about pregnancy, it would be correct to warn the leading gynecologist. It’s stupid to be shy and worry that the doctor will get a negative impression! What is more important is to keep the child safe. The doctor may prescribe a number of additional tests to confirm the condition of the fetus, and, if all is well, no longer drink alcohol until the end of pregnancy, and if there are no problems with milk, until the end of breastfeeding.

If a married couple is seriously thinking about conceiving, it is necessary to give up a number of harmful substances in advance. The effect of drinking on the human body occurs over a long period of time. It takes up to a year and a half to restore internal organs and completely cleanse the body of alcohol breakdown products. For successful fertilization and gestation, it is necessary to “cure” the body not only of the expectant mother, but also of the father. Even if a woman led a healthy lifestyle, the father’s sperm, subject to negative influences, can contribute to the development of pathologies in the fetus.

The effect of alcohol on the fetus

Alcohol affects the fetus in two ways: direct influence and through the mother.

By affecting the female body, alcohol disrupts the functioning of the heart, blood vessels, and digestive tract and complicates the process of “serving” the child. The greatest danger is vascular spasm in the placenta, which reduces the level of oxygen supplied to the baby. The second well-known negative factor is the general dilation of blood vessels and pressure changes in the mother’s body, which can lead to termination of pregnancy.

First of all, alcohol affects the DNA structure, disrupting the natural structure.

The consequences appear after birth and are varied:

1. Pathologies of development of internal organs.
2. Psychological diseases.
3. Deviations in the musculoskeletal system and general weakness of physical development.
4. Mental retardation (memory, hearing, speech defects, etc.).
5. Disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system (CNS), cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
6. Weak immunity.
7. Congenital alcoholism.

In addition, early drinking leads to the development of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Occurs under the influence of alcohol components on the fetus.

Signs of FAS are:

1. Low body weight of the newborn (see what the norms should be).
2. Pathologies of physical development.
3. Maxillofacial defects.
4. Improper development of the brain and central nervous system.
5. Disturbances in the functioning of the internal organs of the newborn.

FAS is dangerous because its consequences cannot be treated. You can make life easier for a child, but he will forever remain disabled.

When is drinking alcohol most dangerous?

Even a sip of alcohol can harm the fetus. Don't risk the health of your unborn child!

The fetus is always in a state of critical alcohol exposure. The general blood delivers the components of alcohol to the baby’s body in a matter of seconds. However, there are critical phases during which drinking is most detrimental to the fetus and its further development. This is primarily due to genetics.

In the first months of pregnancy, a whole organism is formed from one single cell. The process occurs under the natural control of DNA molecules. If the structure of genetic data is disrupted, deviations occur during “construction”, which continue to develop in the future and accompany the person throughout his life.

Based on this, it is most dangerous to take alcohol at the moments when the basic functions of the body are developing and cells are dividing into organs:

• The first 2 weeks of pregnancy are relatively safe. During this period, the fertilized egg moves through the tube from the ovary to the uterus and is practically not connected with the maternal body. The influence of alcohol is indirect - spasms or dilation of blood vessels in the mother, as well as residual products in the woman’s body;
• From the end of the second week, the egg begins to actively penetrate the uterus and create a connection with the mother - the umbilical cord, through which the fetal metabolic processes will pass. From this moment on, everything that enters the female body is transmitted to the child;
• The 4th week of pregnancy is the organogenesis phase. This is the process of dividing the egg into parts from which the child's organs will be formed. One of the critical moments at which it is very important to keep the mother’s body healthy. Alcohol is strictly prohibited, since it can lead to pathologies of internal organs, even to the absence of some of them;
• From 7 to 12 weeks, brain development occurs. Drinking alcohol at this stage is fraught with psychological disorders and mental retardation;
• It has been proven that if a woman drank alcohol during the first 16 weeks, the probability of miscarriage is 70%.

During the entire first trimester of pregnancy, the body of the future person is being formed, and any malfunctions and disturbances in the functioning of the female body can harm this process.

What alcohol can you drink during pregnancy?

Any alcohol is strictly prohibited. Kvass can be called an “exception”. It cannot be called completely non-alcoholic, since the fermentation effect makes its contribution, but no breakdown products that have a negative effect on the fetus were found.

It is advisable to use home-made kvass - it contains the least amount of ingredients and artificial additives unknown to science.

There is such a moment as “I WANT!” in pregnant women. Often, while pregnant, a woman has an urgent need to eat or drink something. The desire is so strong that failure to fulfill it leads to stress, insomnia, lack of appetite, and in some cases, nervous breakdowns. There were situations when a woman, who had never drunk strong alcoholic beverages in her life, “WANTED” vodka or cognac. Science has not yet found an answer to the question of what this insatiable thirst is and how to deal with it. Statistics have proven that this need must be satisfied. If a pregnant woman is faced with the dilemma of this “I WANT” and the strict ban on alcohol, it is best to consult a gynecologist.

How to give up alcohol while pregnant

If you are pregnant and want to drink, you can resort to a number of rules:

• Don't put yourself in situations where you would normally want to drink alcohol. Stress, nervous excitement, a cheerful company of friends - avoid them.
• Explain your problem to others and ask them not to seduce you. It is easier to restrain yourself if at every meeting a glass of wine or beer does not flash under your nose.
• If you don’t want to talk about your pregnancy, lie. Tell them you are taking antibiotics or any other medications that require you to drink. You can simply pretend that you are drinking, but in reality you are pouring some for your husband or girlfriend from your glass.
• Replace alcohol with something tasty or similar. For example, your favorite pomegranate or mango juice, which you haven’t bought before in order to save money. Be generous and distract your body with something tasty. A child's health is more valuable than a can of juice.

But first of all, you need to realize that if you drink alcohol during pregnancy, you will be born a freak. At best, these will be internal pathologies, invisible from the outside - heart, kidneys, lungs, liver. Huge amounts of money will be spent on maintaining the viability of the child, and it is not possible to cure the disease. In the worst case, external ugliness. Facial defects such as cleft lip, fused eyes and other horrors will make your life and the life of your child unbearable. It's harsh, but it's reality. It is better to endure the craving by hook or by crook than to lament for many years and look for alms to help your baby.

Every mother dreams of bearing and giving birth to a healthy, strong and beautiful child. But, unfortunately, not everyone manages to give up their usual life during pregnancy. Sometimes it’s difficult to completely give up everything that has already become a habit, including alcohol.

Alcohol and pregnancy, as everyone knows, are extremely incompatible things. Perhaps this is the only statement that does not cause obvious disagreement among doctors. However, to this day, opinions differ on one thing: is a strict ban on alcohol from the day of conception necessary, or does a glass of wine drunk on the occasion of good news not harm the development of the fetus?

We will try to dispel all myths and come to the only correct conclusion.

What are the dangers of drinking alcohol during pregnancy?

Let's start with the fact that any alcoholic beverages contain ethanol or ethyl alcohol in greater or lesser concentration. Ethanol is a poison, a serious psychoactive substance that depresses the human nervous system. Alcohol has a detrimental effect on the entire body and is also quickly addictive.

It is known that the consumption of alcoholic beverages, and especially during pregnancy, does not have the best effect on the health of children.

In fact, ethanol has a teratogenic effect on the fetus. This term refers to a disorder of embryonic development under the influence of chemical and biological substances, as a result of which the risk of congenital anomalies and pathologies significantly increases. The fact is that ethyl alcohol tends to penetrate the placenta, easily entering the blood of the embryo. Thus, the child literally drinks alcohol with his mother.

Let's look at exactly how alcohol affects the fetus during pregnancy, and what consequences of drinking alcohol may appear after the birth of a child:

1 Placental dysfunction. Just like cigarette smoke, alcohol constricts the blood vessels inside the placenta, which prevents the embryo from receiving enough oxygen and nutrients. Consequently, oxygen deprivation interferes with the normal development of the fetus, which creates the risk of having a premature or severely retarded child.

2 Risk of miscarriage. Statistics show that the risk of miscarriage when drinking alcohol during, and especially at the beginning of, pregnancy increases by 3-4 times. Moreover, we are talking about miscarriages at a later date - in the second trimester. Insufficient blood supply to the placenta can lead to its aging, which causes premature or intrauterine death of the embryo.

In cases of constant consumption of alcoholic beverages throughout the entire period of gestation, the risk of a stillborn child being born increases.

Also, termination of pregnancy can be caused by a deficiency of substances necessary to preserve the fetus: folic acid, the hormone testosterone.

3 Ethyl alcohol has a detrimental effect on the internal organs of the child. Ethanol can damage the proper formation of organs in the early stages of pregnancy and disrupt their functioning. The liver, excretory, and cardiovascular systems are especially affected.

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4 Ethyl alcohol has the most serious effect on the brain and nervous system as a whole. The fact is that the brain is formed in the first trimester, at 8-12 weeks of pregnancy. Brain cells affected by ethanol are removed from the body in adults and partially replaced by new ones, since there is a kind of cellular reserve. Naturally, an organism that is just developing does not have this opportunity.

Therefore, alcohol can cause many pathologies of the nervous system: neurological disorders such as a tendency to depression, neuroses, aggressiveness, hyperactivity, and increased irritability.

Often, such children are difficult to teach and significantly lag behind the development of relatively healthy peers. Children born to a mother who did not give up alcohol during pregnancy have a much more difficult time adapting to society.

5 Many neurological disorders are sometimes caused by physical pathologies of the nervous system. Due to insufficient oxygen supply to the brain, it can develop microcephaly(underdevelopment of the brain or its lobes). There may be problems with the formation of the spinal canal.

6 Children whose mothers abused alcohol during pregnancy often have a characteristic deformation of their facial features. Among them are such as a shortened upper lip, the wall of the nose, small eye sockets, deep-set eyes with a characteristic fold on the eyelid, underdevelopment of the zygomatic arch and temporal bone.

7 Drinking alcohol by the mother can provoke a tendency to develop alcoholism in children during adolescence and adolescence. The likelihood that a child will develop a love for alcohol increases given the fact that he may already have psychological problems caused by disorders of the nervous system.

The effect of alcohol on conception

As you know, alcohol does not have the best effect on the reproductive system of both women and men.

When planning, remember that it is especially undesirable for a man to drink alcohol 2-3 months before the expected moment of conception. This is done because alcohol tends to change the biological structure of active sperm, making them pathological, in other words, defective.

Actually, the presence of such sperm in an amount of up to 25% in the semen is normal in non-drinking men. But under the influence of ethyl alcohol, their ratio to normal sperm can increase to a ratio of 1:1, which significantly reduces the chances of conceiving a healthy child. Alcohol can also cause a decrease in sperm motility, and systematic consumption of alcoholic beverages leads to complete infertility, impotence and testicular atrophy.

By the way, alcohol abuse by young men during puberty weakens hormonal levels, which can cause significant harm to sexual function even at a young age.

As for women, the baby is still at the most serious risk due to the consumption of alcoholic beverages during pregnancy.

The health of the unborn child at conception is determined to a large extent by the quality of the sperm.

But alcohol greatly affects the process of egg maturation, that is, alcohol abuse leads to female infertility. If you still decide to approach the issue of conception as responsibly as possible, then completely give up alcohol together with the future dad, since it takes some time for the body to cleanse itself of toxins.

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Is alcohol dangerous in early pregnancy?

A common case is when a woman, not knowing about pregnancy, does not limit herself to alcoholic beverages. This should not become a strong reason for panic, and even more so for consent to an abortion, since it is worth taking into account several more physiological nuances:

1 In the first days after conception, drinking alcohol is relatively safe, since the fertilized cell most likely has not yet had time to attach to the walls of the uterus.

2 In the first weeks of its existence, a fertilized egg is very vulnerable, so the slightest toxic influence can simply destroy it. Actually, if this happened, most likely you would not even know about the possible pregnancy. And the formation of internal organs occurs no earlier than from the beginning of the 4th week - it is from that moment that drinking alcohol is extremely undesirable from the point of view of the proper development of the embryo.

If you still have doubts about the condition of the developing fetus, consult your doctor for testing. If, as a result of drinking alcohol, your hormonal levels have decreased and a deficiency of vitamins (in particular, folic acid) is detected, a specialist will prescribe you treatment or preventive measures.

Are there acceptable doses of alcohol during pregnancy?

It is difficult to give a definite answer to this question, since the degree of harm caused by alcohol to the fetus depends on many factors. Individual tolerance to alcohol plays a special role: some pregnant women feel ill (pressure surges and dizziness may occur) from a small dose of alcohol. It is also important what kind of alcohol is consumed, because not only ethanol has a negative effect on the body, but also auxiliary substances added to alcoholic drinks: preservatives, dyes.

There is a lot of gossip about the negative impact of alcoholic beverages on the health of a woman and her unborn child, however, despite all the assurances of experts, not everyone is ready to completely give up alcohol. Who is right: the woman who claims that alcohol “in small doses” is not harmful because the body requires it, or the doctors who categorically prohibit its use? Are there acceptable doses of alcohol, and what consequences can uncontrolled drinking have? - let's try to figure it out.

A little wine is even good for you

Many scientists are researching this issue, which is why there are so many myths around this topic. In particular, many argue that drinking up to a glass of red wine a week is not only not harmful, but is even beneficial for blood circulation. Grandmothers and mothers say that they drank a dessert spoon of wine or liqueurs, and nothing affected the child! - In fact, each organism is individual, so for some, even a tablespoon of alcohol will be enough to provoke poisoning.

Red wine is, of course, not vodka or cognac, but the whole point is that finding truly high-quality products is very problematic. Fewer unnatural additives were added to Soviet alcohol industry products, which is why mythical beneficial qualities were attributed to wine. Nowadays, instead of bottled wine, you often find ordinary mash or even alcohol with dyes, which can cause considerable harm!

Safe dose of alcohol: does it exist?

If you studied anatomy at school, you will easily remember that mother and child are connected by the placenta.

Everything that the mother eats or drinks will also enter the baby’s body, because the circulatory systems are connected. Therefore, there is no need to create the illusion that alcohol will quickly be eliminated from the body and will not have time to reach the fetus - it takes at least 24 days for the body to renew itself after drinking.

The fetus is not protected from alcohol in any way; there is simply no such thing as a “useful dose”. Even if 10 grams does not lead to such catastrophic consequences, harm will still be done. No doctor can calculate what dose of wine or beer will be destructive for a child, so the responsibility lies entirely with the parents.

Fetal alcohol syndrome

FAS is fetal alcohol syndrome, a condition that is caused by the action of alcohol components on the fetus during a critical period of development. It is known that if an expectant mother drinks alcoholic beverages in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy, the likelihood that the baby will be stillborn or have a miscarriage increases by 70%.

Most often, FAS is recorded if a woman drank 4-5 drinks (1 dose - 15 grams) of alcohol daily. With smaller amounts, the anomalous effects are less noticeable, but damage is still caused. Doctors say that in women who drink alcohol, the structure of the egg is also damaged - the same one in which the genetic information is embedded.

Signs of fetal syndrome:

• Low birth weight of the baby;
• Violation of the physical development of the fetus;
• Underdevelopment of lips, cheekbones or jaws;
• Disorders of brain and nervous system development;
• Disruption of internal organs.

The most dangerous period for drinking alcohol is 7-12 weeks of pregnancy, this is when the fetus begins to develop the brain. Nerve cells destroyed by alcohol are simply not restored, and as a result, the child may experience problems with memory, speech, hearing and other intellectual processes in the future. Other systems and internal organs may also be affected.

Alcohol is tricky. Its effect on the child’s body can manifest itself after birth - cause chronic diseases and inhibition of natural physical processes:

• Provoke defects in the development of internal organs;
• Psychological diseases;
• Poor physical development, defects of the musculoskeletal system;
• Learning problems (weak memory, poor speech, etc.). Such children may lag significantly behind their peers;
• Disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular, nervous, and respiratory systems;
• Weak immune system;
• Congenital predisposition to alcoholism.

Alcohol and conception

If you find out that you are pregnant, but before that you went to a party and drank alcohol, you do not need to immediately prepare for the worst. It is worth remembering that in the first 2 weeks the embryo is not yet attached to the wall of the uterus, so drinking alcohol is dangerous because it can cause a miscarriage. As a rule, a woman often does not even notice that she was pregnant - she only experiences a slight malaise. The placenta is formed after 2 weeks, during this period even a minimal dose of alcoholic beverages can cause the development of pathologies, so we put alcohol on the back shelf for at least 9 months, and if everything is fine with feeding, then longer.

If you are planning a pregnancy, both partners should avoid alcohol during this time. Focus on healthy eating and active physical activity. If a husband drinks alcohol, he should know that ethanol also affects male sperm, destroying part of the DNA, so the health of the offspring is in question. Before conception, it is recommended to abstain from alcohol for at least 3 months; during this period, use barrier contraception.

A healthy lifestyle is very important, because the life of your children depends on it, think about it in advance so that it is not too late!

Doctors of all times and peoples constantly repeat that alcohol and pregnancy are incompatible. But there are overly bold or frivolous ladies who try to disagree with this. As an argument in favor of “moderate” drinking in the early stages of pregnancy, studies of some foreign scientists or examples from the lives of their own acquaintances are cited.

In fact, the first trimester of pregnancy can be divided into two periods, in each of which ethanol has different effects on the condition of the fetus:

• the first 10–12 days from the moment of conception;
• from the 12th–13th day until the end of the first trimester of pregnancy.

The effect of alcohol on the embryo in the first 10–12 days from conception

A woman is already born with a full set of follicles (about 500 thousand), and throughout her entire life they only die, no new ones are formed. This is not scary, since during the entire childbearing period only 400–500 of them will mature.

But under the influence of alcohol, the follicles begin to die more intensively, and some are damaged. If a sperm fertilizes a diseased egg, then the child may subsequently be born with a congenital pathology. The less a woman drinks alcohol, the healthier her eggs are.

Even strong alcohol drunk immediately after conception or in the first few days after it will not affect the condition of the fertilized egg. If the egg was initially healthy, then the division process is carried out according to the plan laid down by nature.

The danger is that in the body of the expectant mother, ethanol provokes increased secretion in the fallopian tubes. It is through these tubes, dividing intensively along the way, that the egg travels to the uterus in the first 4–5 days after conception. If the fallopian tubes become blocked, the embryo will become stuck and lodge directly in the tube.

When the embryo, already consisting of 58 cells, enters the uterus on the 4th–5th day after conception, it begins to implant and its outer shell, the chorion, is formed. Up to the 13th day, while there is no placental circulatory system yet, alcohol drunk by the mother can kill the embryo and provoke a miscarriage. But alcohol cannot cause any disease in the fetus.

Everything that has been said is true regarding those women who drink little, rarely, and only high-quality alcoholic beverages. Of course, when planning a pregnancy, it is better to give up alcohol altogether, but anything can happen in life.

If the expectant mother, not yet knowing about the pregnancy, drank alcohol in the first week and a half after conception, there is no need to worry: this will not affect the baby’s health. Of course, it is imperative to check whether an ectopic pregnancy has occurred.

The effect of alcohol on the condition of the fetus from the 13th day after conception

Approximately on the 13th day after conception, the creation of the placental circulatory system begins. Now the fetus receives oxygen and all nutrients from the mother’s body. Alcohol consumed by a woman causes vasoconstriction, as a result of which the unborn child experiences hypoxia - oxygen starvation.

Even the liver of a healthy adult perceives ethanol as poison. The fetal liver is just developing and is unable to cope with the poison. And thanks to the placental circulatory system, the fetal blood contains the same percentage of alcohol as the mother.

In the first trimester, all organs of the embryo are formed. The fetus is especially sensitive from the 28th to the 49th day, when the child’s facial features are formed. Ethanol poisoning can negatively affect a baby's appearance.

Here are just some of the consequences of ethyl alcohol poisoning and fetal hypoxia in the first trimester of pregnancy:

• fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Babies with severe forms of the disease often die several years after birth. If they survive, they are significantly behind their peers in development. Often such children have difficulty seeing or hearing. It is very difficult to teach them anything, as it is difficult for kids to concentrate in order to learn new information. A child with pronounced FAS can be easily recognized by his small head, flat face (the structure of the facial parts is underdeveloped), and short chin. The eyes are small, the bridge of the nose is low, the nose is short and upturned;
• disturbances in the functioning of the brain and spinal cord;
• damage to the nervous system. At a minimum, children suffer from hyperactivity and are subject to frequent mood swings. In severe cases - psychosis, manic disorders, suicidal tendencies;
• disorders in the sexual sphere: in boys - cryptorchidism, in girls - pathologies of the reproductive organs.

For the mother, drinking alcohol in early pregnancy often results in miscarriage or premature birth. But even if the baby was born normal, you should not relax. Sometimes the consequences appear during puberty, when an intelligent and obedient child suddenly turns into an angry teenager who does not accept any reasonable arguments.

What to do if a pregnant woman wants alcohol

Often, pregnant women experience a craving for alcoholic drinks with a pronounced taste: beer, wine, alcoholic cocktails. There is an opinion that if a pregnant woman wants something, then she definitely needs to be given it: they say, the body itself knows what is good for it. The trouble is that craving for alcohol is really a signal from the body about a lack of certain substances, only incorrectly interpreted by the brain.

Let's try to figure it out:

• the desire to drink beer indicates a lack of vitamins, primarily B, C, D, E, and folic acid. Folic acid is vital for DNA synthesis, which occurs intensively in the fetus. Pregnant women need to take medications containing folic acid, since they do not get enough of it from food;
• the desire to drink wine is often a sign of low hemoglobin, developing anemia, deficiency of vitamin C and iron. In such cases, doctors prescribe hematogen, iron-containing drugs;
• craving for alcoholic cocktails arises due to a lack of fresh fruit in the diet. If fruits cannot be eaten (for example, they cause allergic reactions), the doctor will recommend the necessary vitamins.

The desire to drink beer during pregnancy indicates a lack of vitamins or other substances in the body.

Thus, the desire to drink alcohol in the early stages of pregnancy cannot be satisfied or ignored. It is necessary to consult a doctor, get tested, find out what substances are missing in the body and make up for their deficiency by changing the diet and taking vitamins.