Don’t Drink During Pregnancy!

Dr. Yehuda Sanetsky, who heads the clinic for the diagnosis and treatment of children exposed to alcohol during pregnancy, warns that pregnant women or those planning pregnancy should refrain altogether from drinking alcohol.

Alcohol is one of the most dangerous substances to the developing fetus in the womb and drinking alcohol during pregnancy can lead to irreversible damage of the nervous system and various body organs. The amount of alcohol that passes through the placenta to the fetus is exactly the same amount accumulated in the mother’s blood. The main danger is “drinking revelry” when a large amount of alcohol is consumed in a short time. Since a safe level of alcohol consumption is unknown, the broad recommendation of all leading global health organizations as well as Schneider Children’s is total avoidance of all alcohol when planning a pregnancy or during pregnancy.

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can, as mentioned, lead to various developmental disorders in the fetus. In the Western World, exposure to alcohol during pregnancy is felt to be the most common cause for neuro-developmental disorders, which can be entirely prevented. Research undertaken in 2010 by Schneider specialists found that over 15% of women in Israel drink alcohol in varying quantities during pregnancy.

Schneider Children’s operates a designated clinic for the diagnosis, treatment and follow up of children exposed to alcohol during pregnancy. The clinic treats a range of disorders on the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum, characterized by developmental problems, attention and concentration deficit, emotional and behavioral disturbances, physical organ damage, and complex cases of full Fetal Alcohol Syndrome that includes developmental and physical disorders and typical facial distortions.