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

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

Scientists and doctors have tried many times to answer this question. Opinions differ every time. Moreover, the unambiguously correct answer among them has not yet been found. It used to be 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. The body of women reacts to alcohol individually.

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

Recent data indicate that alcohol crosses the placental barrier in full. You can talk about the effect of ethyl alcohol on the embryo for a long time. 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 the 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 but you will not be held responsible for this later. It is impossible to predict how alcohol may affect the health of a future son or daughter. During pregnancy, there is no difference between alcoholic beverages. Early physicians argued that whiskey, brandy, liqueurs or vodka should definitely be banned, and wine and beer are not dangerous drinks, but modern scientific research proves otherwise. Absolutely any alcohol is equally potentially dangerous for the baby.

Alcohol in early pregnancy

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

Undoubtedly, if for some reason the doses of alcohol were excessive and consumed daily, it is worth telling the doctor honestly about it. If not, be calm. But know that as soon as the embryo lands, begins to develop and grow, then 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 the development of the fetus.

How does alcohol affect pregnancy?

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

When a woman drinks alcohol, her eggs are damaged, each of which carries the genetic information about your unborn child. That is why alcohol is dangerous even before pregnancy. The child of a man and a woman who often drink is smaller in body weight, shorter and lags behind in development from peers born to parents who do not drink alcohol. The baby has a weakened immune system and is more prone to various diseases. The main danger is an innate predisposition to alcoholism.

All varieties of alcoholic beverages are toxic to the growing, developing organism of the fetus. Any drink containing alcohol is potentially dangerous for the unborn child. In addition, you should be careful about over-the-counter cough and cold remedies. Some of them contain up to 25% alcohol.

What is the father's responsibility for the health of the child?

If you planned 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 link between father's alcoholism and delayed intrauterine development of the fetus. Indeed, excessive alcohol consumption by the father of a child can cause him to have 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 portion 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, not definitively proven. As adults and responsible people, you and your man should be aware that now your lifestyle affects not only yourself, but also your continuation.

Or is it okay to drink alcohol during pregnancy?

You can't help it and you're drawn to a glass of wine. Especially for you, we will give an answer to the question of whether alcohol is allowed during pregnancy. You can afford 100-200 g of natural dry wine, but only 2-3 for 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, while the negative effect after drinking alcohol will begin to act within 90 minutes. Most studies have confirmed that four to five small doses of alcohol per day are sufficient for the onset of fetal alcohol syndrome. However, in a mild form, anomalies also occur at two doses per day (28 g of alcohol). If you do drink alcohol, then you need to drink one, maximum two drinks a week, and only during meals.

The period of pregnancy is a time of increased responsibility and a particularly reverent attitude towards your body. Within 9 months, you are laying the 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 effects of alcohol on a child and refrain from drinking it. It is not uncommon for a woman to be unaware of her situation and continue to drink alcohol in the early stages. In such cases, upon learning of the pregnancy, it would be right to warn the leading gynecologist. To be shy and worry that the doctor will have a negative impression is stupid! More importantly, the safety of the child. The doctor may prescribe a number of additional tests to confirm the condition of the fetus, and if everything is fine, 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 conception, it is necessary to give up a number of harmful substances in advance. The effect of drinking on the human body occurs for a long time. It takes up to a year and a half to restore the internal organs, and the absolute cleansing of the body from the decay products of alcohol. For successful fertilization and gestation, it is necessary to “cure” the body not only for the expectant mother, but also for the father. Even if a woman led a healthy lifestyle, the father's sperm, which is 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.

Influencing the female body, alcohol disrupts the work of the heart, blood vessels, digestive tract and complicates the process of “service” to the child. The greatest danger is vasospasm in the placenta, which reduces the level of oxygen supplied to the child. The second well-known negative factor is the general expansion of blood vessels and pressure drops in the mother's body, which can lead to termination of pregnancy.

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

The consequences appear after birth and are varied:

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

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

FAS features are:

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

FAS is dangerous because its effects are not treatable. 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. Do not risk the health of the unborn child!

The fetus is always in a state of critical alcohol exposure. The total blood delivers the components of alcohol in a matter of seconds to the body of the crumbs. However, there are critical phases in which drinking is most detrimental to the fetus and its further development. It is connected, first of all, with genetics.

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

Based on this, it is most dangerous to take alcohol at the moments of laying the basic functions of the body and dividing cells 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 mother's body. The influence of alcohol is indirect - spasms or vasodilation 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 into the uterus and create a connection with the mother - the umbilical cord, through which the metabolic processes of the fetus will pass. From this moment, everything that enters the female body is transmitted to the child;
• The 4th week of pregnancy is the phase of organogenesis. This is the process of dividing the egg into parts, from which the organs of the child will be formed. One of the critical moments in which it is very important to keep the mother's body healthy. Alcohol is strictly prohibited, as it can lead to pathologies of internal organs, up to the absence of some of them;
• From 7 to 12 weeks, brain development occurs. Taking alcohol at this stage is fraught with psychological deviations and mental retardation;
• It has been proven that if a woman drank alcohol during the first 16 weeks, the probability of miscarriage is 70%.

The entire first trimester of pregnancy, the body of the future person is being formed, and any failures and disturbances in the work of the female body can harm this process.

What alcohol can you drink during pregnancy

Any alcohol is strictly prohibited. "Exception" can be called kvass. It cannot be called absolutely non-alcoholic, since the effect of fermentation contributes, but no decay products that have a negative effect on the fetus have been found.

It is advisable to use home-made kvass - it has the least components and artificial additives unknown to science.

There is such a moment as "I WANT!" in pregnant women. Often, being in a position, a woman has an urgent need to eat or drink something. The desire is so strong that not fulfilling it leads to stress, insomnia, lack of appetite, and in some cases, nervous breakdowns. There were situations when a woman, never in her life, who did not drink strong alcoholic beverages, "WANTED" vodka or cognac. Science has not yet found an answer to the question of what kind of irrepressible thirst is, and how to deal with it. Statistics have proven that this need must be met. If a pregnant woman is faced with the dilemma of this “I WANT” and the strictest 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 tempt. It is easier to restrain yourself if, at each meeting, a glass of wine or beer does not flash under your nose.
• If you do not want to talk about pregnancy - lie. Say that you are taking antibiotics or any other medications that make you not drink. You can just pretend that you are drinking, but actually pour your husband or girlfriend from your glass.
• Replace alcohol with something tasty or similar. For example - your favorite pomegranate juice or mango, which you have not bought before in order to save money. Be generous and divert your body to "yummy". A child's health is more valuable than a can of juice.

But first of all, you need to realize - if you drink alcohol during pregnancy, a freak will be born. At best, these will be internal pathologies, invisible from the outside - the heart, kidneys, lungs, liver. Enormous 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 a cleft lip, fused eyes and other horrors will make your life and the life of a child unbearable. It's gross, but it's reality. It is better to endure cravings by hook or by crook than to lament for many years and seek alms to help your baby.

Any mother dreams of enduring and giving birth to a healthy, strong and beautiful child. But, unfortunately, not everyone manages to part with their usual life during pregnancy. Sometimes it is 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 the 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 concentrations. Ethanol is a poison, a serious psychoactive substance that depresses the human nervous system. Alcohol has a detrimental effect on the entire body, and also causes rapid addiction.

It is known that the use of alcoholic beverages, and especially during the period of gestation, 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 violation of embryonic development under the influence of chemical and biological substances, as a result of which the risk of congenital anomalies and pathologies increases significantly. 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 the mother.

Consider exactly how alcohol affects the fetus during pregnancy, and what consequences of drinking alcohol can be revealed after the birth of a child:

1 Violation of the functions of the placenta. Just like cigarette smoke, alcohol constricts the blood vessels inside the placenta, which prevents the embryo from getting enough oxygen and nutrients. Consequently, oxygen starvation interferes with the normal development of the fetus, due to which there is a risk of the birth of 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. And 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 with the constant use of alcoholic beverages throughout the entire period of gestation, the risk of the birth of a dead child increases.

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

3 Ethyl alcohol has a detrimental effect on the internal organs of the child. Ethanol can also damage the proper laying of organs in early pregnancy, and disrupt their functioning. The liver, excretory, 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 laid back 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, only an organism that is being laid down does not have such an opportunity.

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

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

5 Many neurological disorders are sometimes caused by physical pathologies of the nervous system. Due to insufficient supply of oxygen 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 gestation often have a characteristic deformation of facial features. Among them are such as a shortened upper lip, nasal wall, small eye sockets, deep-set eyes with a characteristic crease on the eyelid, underdevelopment of the zygomatic arch and temporal bone.

7 Maternal alcohol consumption may contribute to the development of alcoholism in children during adolescence and adolescence. The likelihood that a child will develop a love for alcohol increases against the background of 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 spermatozoa, making them pathological, in other words, defective.

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

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

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

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

But alcohol greatly affects the process of egg maturation, that is, the abuse of alcohol leads to female infertility. If you still decide to approach the issue of conception as responsibly as possible, then completely give up alcohol along with your future dad, as 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 agreeing to an abortion, since it is worth considering a few 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 effect can simply destroy it. Actually, if this happened, most likely, you would not even know about a possible pregnancy. And the laying of internal organs occurs no earlier than from the beginning of 4 weeks - from that moment on, drinking alcohol is highly 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 a doctor for testing. If, as a result of the use of alcoholic beverages, the hormonal background has decreased and a deficiency of vitamins (in particular, folic acid) is found, the specialist will prescribe treatment or preventive measures for you.

Is there an acceptable amount of alcohol during pregnancy?

It is difficult to give an unambiguous 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 bad (pressure surges, dizziness can be observed) 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 beverages: preservatives, dyes.

There is a lot of gossip about the negative impact of high-grade drinks 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: a woman who claims that alcohol “in small doses” is not harmful, because the body requires it, or doctors who categorically prohibit its use? Are there acceptable doses of alcohol, and what consequences can uncontrolled drinking entail? - let's try to figure it out.

A little wine is even useful

Many scientists are studying 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 even beneficial for blood circulation. Grandmothers and mothers say that they drank a dessert spoonful of wines or tinctures, and nothing affected the child! - In fact, each organism is individual, so for someone even a tablespoon of alcohol will be enough to provoke poisoning.

Red wine is, of course, not vodka or cognac, but the thing is that it is very problematic to find really high-quality products. Fewer non-natural additives were added to Soviet products of the alcohol industry, which is why mythical beneficial qualities were attributed to wine. Now, quite often, instead of bottled wine, there is 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, then you can easily remember that the mother and child are connected by the placenta.

Everything that the mother eats or drinks will also enter the body of the crumbs, because the circulatory systems are connected. Therefore, there is no need to create illusions that alcohol will quickly be eliminated from the body and will not have time to reach the fetus - it takes at least 24 days to renew the body 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, the harm will still be done. No physician will be able to calculate what dose of wine or beer will be fatal to the child, so the responsibility lies entirely with the parents.

fetal alcohol syndrome

FAS - 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 the expectant mother consumes alcoholic beverages in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy, the likelihood that the child will be born dead or there will be a miscarriage increases by 70%.

Most often, FAS is recorded if a woman consumed 4-5 doses (1 dose - 15 grams) of alcohol daily. At smaller amounts, the anomalous effects are less noticeable, but the damage is still done. Doctors say that in women who drink alcoholic beverages, the structure of the egg is also damaged - the one that contains genetic information.

Signs of fetal syndrome:

• Insufficient weight of the child at birth;
• Violation of the physical development of the fetus;
• Underdevelopment of the lips, cheekbones or jaws;
• Developmental disorders of the brain and nervous system;
• Violation of the work of internal organs.

The most dangerous period for drinking alcohol is 7-12 weeks of pregnancy, it is then that the development of the brain begins in the fetus. Nerve cells destroyed by alcohol are simply not restored, 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 influence on the child's body can manifest itself after birth - it can cause chronic diseases, inhibition of natural physical processes:

• Provoke defects in the development of internal organs;
• Psychological illnesses;
• Weak physical development, defects in the musculoskeletal system;
• Learning problems (weak memory, poor speech, and so on). Such children can significantly lag behind their peers;
• Disorders in the work of the cardiovascular, nervous, 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 the alcohol taken is dangerous because it can cause a miscarriage. As a rule, a woman often does not even notice that she was pregnant - she only has a slight malaise. The placenta is formed after 2 weeks, during this period, even the minimum dose of alcoholic beverages can cause the development of pathologies, so we put alcohol on the far shelf for at least 9 months, and if everything is in order with feeding, then even longer.

If you are planning a pregnancy, then both partners should exclude alcohol for this time. Focus on healthy eating and active physical activity. If a husband drinks alcohol, he should be aware that ethanol also affects male spermatozoa, destroying part of the DNA, so the health of the offspring is a big 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!

The fact that alcohol and pregnancy are incompatible is constantly repeated by doctors of all times and peoples. But there are too 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 life of their own acquaintances are cited.

In fact, the first trimester of pregnancy can be divided into two periods, in each of which ethanol affects the fetus in a different way:

• the first 10-12 days from the moment of conception;
• from 12–13 days to the end of the first trimester of pregnancy.

The effect of alcohol on the fetus in the first 10-12 days from the moment of conception

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

But under the influence of alcohol, the follicles begin to die more intensively, and some are damaged. If a spermatozoon fertilizes a diseased egg, then subsequently the child may 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 state of the fertilized egg. If the egg was originally healthy, then the division process is carried out according to the plan laid down by nature.

It is dangerous that in the body of a future mother, ethanol provokes an increased secretion in the fallopian tubes. It is through these tubes, intensively dividing along the way, that the egg travels to the uterus in the first 4–5 days after conception. If the fallopian tubes are clogged, the fetus will get stuck and attach directly to the tube.

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

Everything said is true about 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 one and a half weeks after conception, you should not worry: this will not affect the health of the baby. 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 the nutrients from the mother's body. Alcohol drunk by a woman causes vasoconstriction, as a result, an unborn child experiences hypoxia - oxygen starvation.

Ethanol perceives as poison even the liver of an adult healthy person. The fetal liver is just being formed, it cannot cope with the poison. And thanks to the placental circulation system, the blood of the fetus has the same percentage of alcohol as that of 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 baby's facial features are laid. Ethanol poisoning can adversely affect the appearance of the baby.

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 disease often die a few 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 babies to concentrate in order to learn new information. A child with a pronounced FAS is easily recognizable by a small head, a flat face (the structure of parts of the face is underdeveloped), and a short chin. The eyes are small, the bridge of the nose is low, the nose is short and upturned;
• disorders in the work of the brain and spinal cord;
• damage to the nervous system. At a minimum, children suffer from hyperactivity, subject to frequent mood swings. In severe cases - psychosis, manic disorders, suicidal tendencies;
• disorders in the genital area: in boys - cryptorchidism, in girls - pathologies of the reproductive organs.

For a 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 a smart and obedient child suddenly turns into an angry, unreasonable teenager.

What to do if a pregnant woman wants alcohol

Often, pregnant women experience cravings for alcoholic beverages with a pronounced taste: beer, wine, alcoholic cocktails. There is an opinion that if a pregnant woman wants something, then she certainly 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 the 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, in the first place - B, C, D, E, folic acid. Folic acid is vital for DNA synthesis, which is intense in the body of the fetus. Pregnant women need to take preparations containing folic acid, since it does not come enough with food;
• the desire to drink wine is often a sign of low hemoglobin, developing anemia, deficiency of vitamin C, iron. In such cases, doctors prescribe hematogen, iron-containing drugs;
• craving for alcoholic cocktails arises from 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 early pregnancy can neither be satisfied nor ignored. It is necessary to consult a doctor, take tests, find out what substances are missing in the body and make up for their deficiency by changing the diet and taking vitamins.