Posted by I am covering the objective of how a woman’s reproductive system reacts to alcohol while pregnant and how alcohol affects the fetus. The medium I have used is a drawing of a baby with birth defects from their mother drinking alcohol while pregnant.
First, a woman that thinks they might be pregnant, is pregnant or is trying for pregnancy should not drink alcohol. This is because any ounce of alcohol consumption could result in effects of; premature birth, low birthweight (LBW), miscarriage, stillbirth, mental, physical, and emotional disabilities, and low birthweight. When alcohol is consumed during weeks 3 to 16 the risk of alcohol effects is much higher and severe. However, when alcohol enters the mother’s system from three to four weeks the alcohol will affect the development of the baby’s heart, arms, eyes, ear, and legs. Consuming alcohol from 6 to 12 weeks will mostly affect the development of palate, external glands, and teeth. Once the child is born the child could have physical changes called fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). The child can have abnormal facial characteristic where there is a smooth ridge between the nose and upper lip, upturned nose, wide spaced eyes, and a flat nasal bridge. In addition, have a smaller head circumstance, bad hearing and eyesight, bone heart and kidney issues (“Alcohol During Pregnancy”, Slaughter).
Moreover, when alcohol enters a woman’s body who is pregnant it will not only affect the fetus but the woman as well. The alcohol will enter the placenta which plays a major role in how the fetus will develop, nutrient utilization and maturation. The placenta provides the fetus with food and oxygen, and it is between the maternal and fetal blood. This will allow the alcohol to be transferred with three sets of maternal hormones, produced by the mother, fetus’s hormonal secretion and secreted by the placenta. This will disturb their functions and trigger hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) which deals with how the body response to stress, hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis (HPT) which maintains the metabolism of many tissues and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG) which controls the reproduction functions. When HPA is triggered glucocorticoids, which functions the bodies energy to react to stress will have a longer response level to stress. This will lead to underdevelopment of the fetus, development of ulcers and suppression of immune system (Gabriel).
Lastly there is no known treatment for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). However, when discovered early during the pregnancy the child has a better chance at reducing the effects. One is providing the child with special care and education. This will allow them to be at their own pace and not feel overwhelmed. Second is therapy from physical therapy, speech language therapy and occupational therapy. Third is having a meatal health professional to help them understand their mind and emotions (Gavin).
In conclusion, a woman should not intake any ounce of alcohol when she thinks she might be pregnant, is pregnant or is trying for pregnancy. FASDs has many life-threatening and long-term effects. FASDs cannot be cured but can be treated.
References
“Alcohol During Prgnancy”. (n.d.). Alcohol during pregnancy. March of Dimes. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.marchofdimes.org/find-support/topics/pregnancy/alcohol-during-pregnancy
Gabriel, K., Hofmann, C., Glavas, M., & Weinberg, J. (1998). The hormonal effects of alcohol use on the mother and fetus. Alcohol health and research world. Retrieved April 10, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6761898/
Gavin, M. L. (Ed.). (2020, November). Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) (for parents) – nemours kidshealth. KidsHealth. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/fas.html
Slaughter, E. (2023, March 20). Dangers & effects of drinking alcohol while pregnant. American Addiction Centers. Retrieved April 9, 2023, from https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcoholism-treatment/dangers-pregnancy
Ce’Anika Palacios’s STEAM project analyzes the consequences of women drinking alcohol during pregnancy can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome (FASDs). He depicts this condition through a hand-drawn illustration of a mother drinking alcohol, thus showing that essentially, the baby is also consuming the alcohol. Alongside that illustration, an image of the different physical abnormalities that are associated with fetal alcohol syndrome are depicted and labeled. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA), the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis (HPT), play crucial roles in providing hormones for the placenta and to ensure reproductive processes continue. When alcohol interferes with the HPA, the body will work the body as it is dealing with “stress” leading to underdevelopments to the growing fetus. There are no treatments for (FASDs), but there is therapy options to “fix” the underdevelopments of the child. The consequences of FASDs are permanent and can be avoided if a potential mother avoids drinking alcohol.
THIS IS THE FULL RESPONSE. THE FIRST ONE DIDN’T MEET REQUIREMENTS.
Ce’Anika Palacios’s STEAM project analyzes the consequences of women drinking alcohol during pregnancy can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome (FASDs). He depicts this condition through a hand-drawn illustration of a mother drinking alcohol, thus showing that essentially, the baby is also consuming the alcohol. Alongside that illustration, an image of the different physical abnormalities that are associated with fetal alcohol syndrome are depicted and labeled. Some of the symptoms and effects of FASDs consist of the possibility of premature birth, smaller size at birth, higher risk for miscarriage, stillbirth, as well as physical and mental hinderances. The most at-risk time for FASDs is when the fetus is 3-16 weeks of development. FASDs affects both the fetus and the mother as the placenta is worked through both the mother’s blood and with the fetus’s blood. Thus, when the mother consumes alcohol, it directly affects the development of the baby as the placenta is part of the mother and the child. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA), the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis (HPT), play crucial roles in providing hormones for the placenta and to ensure reproductive processes continue. When alcohol interferes with the HPA, the body will work the body as it is dealing with “stress” leading to underdevelopments to the growing fetus. There are no treatments for (FASDs), but there is therapy options to “fix” the underdevelopments of the child. The consequences of FASDs are permanent and can be avoided if a potential mother avoids drinking alcohol during or before her pregnancy.
Abstract
The art published for the project portrays a silhouette of a pregnant female holding and drinking an outline of a bottle. The bottle represents alcohol. There is a drawing outline of a baby holding a bottle while drinking it. The artist provides a child’s head and illustrates standard features among those suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome. The drawing and abstract of the project are well articulated. The author explains their objective unit, the subject of their project, and adds, with information, their knowledge of the issue.
The objective the author covered is the reproductive system. As stated above, the project’s subject is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). The author explains the risk factors of FAS, how it occurs with the typical symptoms, and possible treatment available for the child suffering from FAS. The author starts by providing the risks of drinking alcohol while pregnant. A few risks were miscarriage, stillborn, low birth weight, and physical deformities. The highest chance of FAS to occur, according to the author, is during weeks three to sixteen.
The common symptoms are an abnormal size head (usually small), abnormal facial features (flat bridge or upturned nose, wide-spaced eyes, thin upper lip, or smaller gap between nose and upper lip), and organ deformities (bad hearing & sight, kidneys, heart, and bone defects). These occur because when the mother drinks the alcohol, it enters the bloodstream and passes to the fetus. As it does this, it slows the reaction of the hormones that regulate the growth of the fetus and placenta.
Little is known about treatments for FAS. Some surgeries can fix certain facial features. The infant’s medical needs, such as speech therapy, physical therapy, and mental health, will have to be addressed.
References
Palacios, C. A. (2023). Human steam. Human STEAM. Retrieved April 25, 2023, from