What are the effects of alcohol on the fetus?

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What are the effects of alcohol on the fetus?
Alcohol from time immemorial has never been associated with pregnancy. It is not hard to realize this, considering the numerous materials and publications about pregnancy and the numerous side effects of alcohol consumption and how it can be harmful or even fatal. The science behind this analogy states; an expectant mother normally shares blood with her fetus, and if, at any time, she takes alcohol, then it is eventually absorbed in her blood stream and contamination passes on to her fetus through the umbilical cord(Armstrong 15). In the early weeks into pregnancy, this can be harmful considering the fetus has very sensitive and partially developed body organs especially the liver, which is responsible for breaking down and processing of alcohol, which eventually determines the amount of alcohol in the blood. With the issue bringing controversies in the societal point of view, there are several questions that have gone unanswered. Moreover, there are critics and supporters of the topic. This paper critically explores the effects of alcohol on the fetus, and provides varying opinions on the topic.
It is recorded in research that alcohol is a major cause of different diseases such as lung cancer. Evidently through research, it is unquestionable that many people have suffered and others lost their lives due to excessive consumption of alcohol. Alcohol can also be harmful to expectant mothers, and there are various effects that occur to their toddlers, some of which are examined in this section. It is a common understanding to many people that alcohol is harmful and fatal to the fetus. The effects include health complications both on the fetus and the expectant mother. On the part of the fetus, complications are numerously, which may include damage to the developing organs and nervous systems, which are usually evident when the baby is born (Oster 43). The most common disorder is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). This form of the disorder is associated with children conceived to mothers who were heavy drinkers. The symptoms of FASD include behavioral and attention problems, facial deformities, heart defects, poor fetus growth and even after birth disorders, weak muscles, which results to balance and movement problems Also intelligence and speech problems with very difficult and abnormal learning curves among others. Most of them usually end up being diagnosed with Cerebral palsy complications.
On the part of the mother, common occurrences include miscarriage, high-blood pressure, and premature delivery. However, all these affect the fetus in one way or the other. For this reason, expectant mothers are normally advised not to take alcohol during pregnancy. Regular medical check-ups are highly encouraged. This helps in monitoring the development of the fetus. There exists a lot of information these days that is easily accessible to anyone relating...